


Estrangera

by SCSaco



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SCSaco/pseuds/SCSaco
Summary: When it comes to Dani Rivera, she's all in or all out. When she finds out her dad cheated, she moves to Forks to be with her mom. What she doesn't expect is to find herself caught up in the supernatural. Cheating and sad moms she could handle. Vampires? Not so much. Will she be able to handle the undead or will she give up before then?
Relationships: Jasper Hale/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Estrangera

The airport was dead, as dead as I felt standing beside my father at the entrance. No cars were beeping at us to move - it was midnight, and I felt the humidity seep into my skin even at this late hour. I had no desire to stand next to this man any longer, but I knew I had to for the sake of appearances, just until I'm past those doors.

"Daniela, are you always this stubborn?" My father glanced at the boarding ticket in my hand again as he spoke. The pain was evident in his eyes.

I sighed as I gave him one final hug before going to pass through security at the airport. "You should know the answer to that, Dad," I whispered in his ear, letting go and hiking up my backpack. "Bye, Dad. I'll see you at Christmas?" I didn't mean it.

With a sad smile, he nodded. Enrique was not a sad man, and some part of me, deep inside, knew I must have been the first real reason this man was sad in the longest time. But I couldn't be bothered to care right now - Mom needed me. And I couldn't find it in me to make it easier on him, a serial cheater.

The plane ride was long, boring, and more than once I reconsidered my choice to fly instead of driving with someone across the country, at least that could have been fun. Sitting in the aisle seat for six hours was not the move, you know? And of course it had to be six because why would it be shorter from Miami? Life couldn't just be simple for me. First, it turns out my dad cheated on my mom and she moved away to the middle of nowhere Washington. Tell me why that was the move? I personally think she would have done well in Cali or New York, signs of life; she's not the gloomy type at all. I guess that's what happens when you get cheated on after twenty years of being together.

On principal, I hate cheaters, so it was a no-brainer to abandon my dad for my mom. I only wish I'd done it sooner. I had to wait for the school year to finish out to start junior year at the new high school, I needed my records, physicals, all this shit I never even considered, pero así es. All the things we want come with prices, I guess.

Whatever, I was just glad to get away. My mom - her name's Maria - is my idol. She's this phenomenal artist and uses sea glass a lot, she says reminds her of the Caribbean. It broke my heart to see her wither into nothing from sadness, especially over a man. She left the house the very day she found out, staying in a hotel until she found a place as far from my dad as possible. We have a… flare for the dramatics, you could say. There was even a huge blown out argument in Spanish and English in front of all the neighbors, meaning I couldn't go anywhere without pitying looks from them.

The great part, the absolutely greatest part of this all, was that this meant mom would let me do art with her now. It's the little things that make the difference. She said she must have done something wrong for my dad to cheat - she did nothing wrong - but that meant she now wanted to spend more time together to make up for the "disruptions", she calls them.

My mind started to race, though, the closer to Forks I got. I'm a very anxious person by nature, so I've always preferred either all in or all out. I was either home for the longest time just reading and barely interacting with people, or I was out every night. Suffice to say, I think my mom is hoping for the first as long as I'm with her. Anxious energies always manifested differently for me than my friends, well, the few ones I still had, come mierdas que són.

Feeling the nerves getting to me, I settled into my seat for the last two hours of the flight, intent on getting some sleep before morning. Fuck red-eyes.

When I got off the plane, my mom was standing right there in baggage claim. All sleepy, nervous energy faded away as soon as my eyes landed on her. All I wanted was to run up to her, let the hug say everything I needed to say. The only thing stopping me was the bulky backpack and massive suitcase I was lugging behind me. The moment I was close enough, though, the tears sprung. Maria Antonieta Sanchez and Daniela Rivera were together again, and that's all I cared about.

"Mami," I said, hugging her tightly, squishing us between my bags. "Ay, mami, como te a estranado."

"Yo sé, mijita."

It was then I noticed someone behind us. Just… there.

"Mami, who came with you?" I pulled away from her as I raised an eyebrow, examining the person just a few feet away. She was gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, just, I had no words. I probably looked a fool just standing there because she laughed softly, and even that was done so elegantly.

My mom laughed beside me as well before going over to the person. "This, mijita, is Esme Cullen. She's the architect I was commissioned by recently. She has a few children attending the school you'll be going to as well, and her husband is a fantastic doctor for the town. Esme, this is Daniela, my little angel." She said the last part with a gleam in her eye and it was almost enough to make me burst into tears in front of this stranger. I refused, not this soon at least. I extended my hand to shake hers - something I could never get used to from white people, handshakes - and she extended hers. The first thing I noticed was how cold she was. I attributed it to the fucking cold because go figure, it was cold as shit outside.

I smiled despite the chill traveling up my arm. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen. Thank you for looking out for my mom while she's been here. I'm very grateful, ma'am."

She laughed again in good spirits, making me smile wider. This was good, my mom needed some colleagues, some friends for once. It had been a month since she moved out here and hadn't once mentioned any friends. To my knowledge, she was a recluse, but I'm glad to see that's not the actual case.

"Well, how about we all head into the car?" My mom turned to me as she spoke. "Esme was kind enough to drive me over this morning since my car still hasn't gotten fixed."

"Oh, true," I said more to myself than them. I had forgotten about my mom being carless. She told me at least she was fine, but now looking at the small scratches on her forehead and hands, maybe it had been worse than she let on. Maybe that's how she met the Cullens in the first place, the hospital. Shaking the morbid topic away, I smiled at Esme. "Thank you, then, again, Mrs. Cullen."

"It's no problem, dear." Her smile was blinding. I felt like I was staring into the sun.

The house was cozy amidst the gloomy background of Forks, Washington. The light blue wood paneling and brown roof were a far cry from the condos and townhouses of Miami. I stepped out of the Volvo, wondering not for the first time during the trip from the airport how an architect in Forks owns a car like that.

My eyes started to flutter closed as I slumped against the car, hearing my mom getting the suitcase from the trunk. The key in the lock reminded me I still had a whole day ahead of me. Mom had opened the door and was waiting in the doorway, beckoning me over. Realizing I had been dozing off, I sped up to the small clearing in the house, and took in the quaintness of the home. It was cute, I meant that. It was like a safe haven away from everything. There was a breakfast nook with a small bookcase beside it. The backsplash in the kitchen was white and blue. The couches looked worn in and comfy. I was filled with contentment as I looked around. Mom and I were going to be alright here.

"So, mija, why don't we just have some breakfast and catch up?"

I saw my mom grabbing the pans out of the oven and grinned. "Yeah, I'm down for that."

"Perfect. Esme," my mom started, "you're more than welcome to stay,."

"Oh, don't worry about me, I have to head over to the house anyway. But thank you." She turned to me with her blinding smile again. "Have a good breakfast, and welcome to Forks, Daniela, dear." She bid my mom goodbye and just like that, it was just Maria and Daniela.

The quiet was comfortable, a good quiet where we were left to our devices to cook, or in my case examine the house further. I did hug my mom again, though.

I came upstairs and noted three doorways. I started by opening the one to my left. Bathroom. It was nice and white and more familiar. Bathrooms don't change. Come hell or high water find me in a bathroom with a breakdown - bathrooms don't change. This one was just cleaner than the one back in Miami if anything. Less broken down in.

The next room down the hall was my bedroom, I assumed. It was full of rich and light greens, my favorite color. It was cozy like downstairs, with little lights hanging on the wall and a wide enough seat at the window to read by. It also looked naked. I didn't bring any decorations; I'd left all of that in the house back in Miami, too. There was no space to bring that, no room for memories of my father gifting me stuffed animals for holidays. No room for the Harry Potter lamp he gave me just a few months ago "to always turn on the light" he said. The pang in my heart hurt deep inside, but knew it was nothing like what my mom was experiencing.

I heard a clatter downstairs, and decided I'd save my mom the space and not look at her room. Peeking over the banister I saw my mom squatting on the ground trying to pick up shards.

"Oh, shit, Mom! What happened?" I rushed over and shooed her away, telling her to grab a broom. "Honestly, Mom, get a grip," I joked.

A sigh from behind me signalled that it wasn't an accident. "Mija, it was your dad. He was calling."

"Yeah? Well, fuck that bitch, sorry. Not going to talk to him."I finished picking up the shards and went to toss the garbage outside in the tank with my mom following.

"Mijita," she pleaded, the pain evident in her voice.

With a slam, I shut the garbage tank closed and moved back into the house, yelling all the way. "Que no! You don't fuck with family, Mom - you taught me that! He went and broke all the rules! So absolutely not. Blocked." I huffed and threw myself down into the first chair by the door. I wasn't going to deal with this so early, and neither would my mother. We came this far to get away, and that's how it would stay. "I'm blocking him right now, Mom, nothing you say is stopping that." And I did.

Not for the first time in ten minutes, my mom sighed. "Fine."

It was now I took the time to really look at my mom since coming here. Her long dark hair was wavy and thick, sheltering her face, keeping her warm here whereas in Miami it would have been in a massive bun. The long sleeves and jeans fit her badly, she looked like a shell of the person I grew up admiring. Her tanned skin was palid, and I felt my heart break more.

"Hey, Mami, tell me about the new pieces you've been doing," I said, hoping to break her out of this funk if even for a little.

And that's how we spent the day: making breakfast, chismeando, laughing, slowly getting into a rhythm in this new life for us both. It wasn't until late into the evening I heard the rumbling of an engine. By now it was late evening and I had settled on the couch waiting for dinner to finish while my mom showered. Now, in Miami, you hear a car and it could be anyone from your great-grandmother coming over to chismear, it could be your uncle who got drunk too early and wanted to throw a party, or it could be your cheating husband coming to pretend like nothing happened. Many options, few I enjoyed. Despite my trepidation, I got up, folding the corner of the page I was reading of The Crucible. Junior year already seemed like a pain, but whatever.

As I opened the door, I was certain of three things: whoever was the blond standing there was the most beautiful person I'd ever laid eyes on from here to the Caribbean Sea; the shorter pixie-haired person had to be the other most beautiful person I'd ever seen before; and the cars they drove in had to be the most lavish things I'd ever bared witness to, and I had lived in Miami my whole life.

I couldn't breathe. Laying eyes on this pair, I felt my breath hitch, my lungs constrict, my knees shake - I felt the loss of my body in that moment, and the worst part was that I couldn't figure out why.

The pixie-looking person stepped forward first and offered me her hand. Right. White people, really, really white people.

"Wow, you're white." My eyebrows shot up as I realized I had said that aloud. I saw them both quirk an eyebrow and look at the other. "Oh, fuck, I'm so sorry I didn't mean 'wow' in a bad way, I just meant it like, you're really, white, I mean - ah fuck." I slapped a hand to my face and crumpled against the doorway. The person's hand was still outstretched and I sensed them adjusting it to their side. "I'm sorry." I peeked through my fingers to see the taller person eyeing me strangely, while the smaller one was grinning brightly. That smile, I'd just seen it earlier.

"I don't mean to be rude and ask, but, uh, are you part of the Cullens?" Now that got their attention for sure.

"You'd be right," the tall blond said. God, even their voice had me whimpering. Not that I'd let that show. "I take it you're Daniela then?"

"Well, they do say my mom and I look alike, so what's stopping me from being Maria?"

Tall person let their hair fall to the side and looked at me thoroughly. "Well, the fact we already know her seems like a good reassurance."

I felt my smile widen. Was this little white person going to entrance me? I think so. "You got me. Now who are y'all? I only know Mrs. Cullen really and my mom apparently likes keeping secrets from me."

The shorter one spoke up this time. "I'm Alice! And this is Jasper. And I think we're going to be great friends."

I hesitated a little before speaking again. "Do you also mind telling me your pronouns? I don't want to just continue to call you "they" in my head without knowing what you're comfortable using." I took their silence as refusal at first, leaving me anxious all of a sudden. "If you also don't want to that fine, that's personal, so I totally get it, don't worry, I'm just used to asking in Miami, and I guess Miami is a far cry from Forks, Washington, so I'm sorry, really -"

"Stop apologizing." Oh, God, that voice was going to do me in.

I felt the heat travel up my neck as I rubbed at it, not glancing up. "Still -"

"I'm Jasper, he/him, this is Alice, she/her. Now, with that cleared up, do you mind letting us in? We did come here with a reason, after all."

I flushed even more, noticing the kind of pixie look that lit up Alice's face when I heard Jasper speak. Oh… what if… they're a thing? Oh, that's kinda weird, but who am I to judge? But… aren't they, like, kind of related then?

Alice clearing her throat brought me out of the reverie. I just felt the flush on my face darkening and I allowed myself to just open the door further and let them in, hoping they wouldn't think too deeply about why I was blushing. But I will say, I caught Jasper looking at me through my curls. It was under the fluorescent lights of my new home did I notice they had amber eyes. Yeah, amber, like Jurassic-Park-mosquitoes-stuck-in-amber amber. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I felt my jaw go slack and I hurried to not look a fool, again. It seemed it would be a pattern here, though.

That's how I found myself sitting beside my mother while she charmed the most charming people I'd ever met, we were from Miami, Cuban Miami people, literally charisma empowered.

"It's so lovely to see you both again. And you have to tell Rosalie and Emmett thank you for the fast work on the car, I'm very grateful."

"Now, Alice, you have to take Dani shopping, she's a mess about it if it's not swimsuits or shorts."

"Jasper, you know we're Cuban? No, mija, listen, Jasper is wonderful in Spanish, he's a proud born Texan, you know. You two can practice Spanish together. Your teacher did say you could be with the advanced class anyway. Should have just let you place, I said, but I guess not here."

That topic seemed to bring my mom back down from whatever social high she was on now. "Oh, yes, that's right school starts soon and you should all be in the same grade! That's perfect." Here she looked hopeful at the two guests. "Please do take care of her, she tends to get a little carried away."

"Mom!" I shrieked, laughing all the while, knowing exactly what she meant. There was this one time in fifth grade - ah, good times.

I saw a grimace cross Jasper's face when I spoke, deflating me a bit. "So we've seen, ma'am," Jasper said.

My mom sighed. "Jasper, dear, please how many times do I have to remind you kids, call me Maria! Really, I'm not that old enough to be called ma'am."

"Sorry, Maria! You know Jasper, always the gentleman." Alice tilted her head back to peer up at Jasper and in that moment my heart dropped a little. They had to be a thing. I shifted in my seat, practically squirming at the intimate look they seemed to be sharing.

Suddenly, the old clock behind us seemed to bring them back to the present. Almost in sync, the pair stood up and started shaking hands with my mom, offering her goodnight wishes and last minute promises to watch out for me at school once the term started. I started letting the anxiety get to me then. If the rest of the town was like this, I think I might have fucked up coming here.

"Daniela! Di adios!"

"Oh." I shakily stood up and waved goodbye from my spot. They furrowed their brows slightly, but other than that said goodbye, Alice lingering just a bit longer than Jasper, offering me a smile, then they left.

I didn't process what the meeting was about until they had cleared out and my mom was outside yelling for me.

"Look at our car!"

I blankly stared at the red Honda Civic parked in our driveway. I vaguely heard her mention I'd meet another new girl tomorrow at school, something about not being alone, Arizona, I didn't catch the rest of the spiel. I gave my mom a small smile, thanking her before heading upstairs. It was late and school would be starting tomorrow. See, I meant it when I said I was all in or all out. I could be the most relaxed person in the room and instantly be so anxious I was paralyzed. I had to be so in tune with my surroundings, or I just had to be blissfully unaware of everything. There was never an in-between for me. Mom used to always say it was perfectly all right, but it always threw Dad off his game to see my mood swings give him whiplash. Speaking of Dad, I knew I did the right thing. I just couldn't shake the memory of my mom looking so broken down - that's my job.

Sighing, again, I gave in to the idea I'd be doing that often here in Forks, Washington. This place… I looked at the window to see my mom running a hand down the car door. Something was off about it. And I didn't know if I wanted to find out why. I couldn't go back to Miami either, not like anyone would have cared. I didn't give them a reason to, after all.

I shimmied out of my jeans and sweater, tossing on pajamas, and lying in bed. I checked my phone out of habit - no new message. This was it now, I guess.


	2. Chapter 2

High school wasn't a jungle. It had never been one. It was more like treading water so dark you can't see an inch deep. Now that's scary. And Forks High School was no exception. I had yet to meet this supposed other new girl, so I was on my own as the star of this tragic show. I felt the anxiety bubbling up and decided today it wouldn't get to me. I stayed up all night from nerves until all I could do was dance around my room and laugh from the mania. And that's how it would stay. No time for nerves, not on the first day.

"Hey, you!"

I groaned. Maybe I spoke too soon. I turned around to see who had called for me. A tall blond, very unlike Jasper Cullen, was waving me over a van full of teenagers. I hiked up my backpack and decided it was worth it to head over, I couldn't stay friendless forever at least.

I smiled pleasantly when I reached them and took notice of the way they seemed to laugh at the slightest motion. They seemed happy, which I was jealous of. "What's up, guys? I'm Dani."

I waved slightly and that was all it took for the questions to start.

The boy who'd waved me over spoke first. "I'm Mike, it's good to meet you," he said with a boyish grin. His cheeks seemed flush and I decided I'd chalk it up to the cold.

"I'm Tyler!" I jumped at the sudden approach of someone behind me putting their arm on my shoulder. "And man, you are fine! Look at her!"

I extricated myself from his embrace. "Thanks, but how about no?"

A chorus of 'oh's' and laughter resounded. "Ignore him, he's a clown." A pretty brunette spoke up. " I'm Jessica."

"And I'm Angela, honestly, ignore them, they're messes," said another brunette with glasses.

I smiled at them again, thankful some of them weren't asses. They motioned me over to sit with them in the van and I followed, ignoring the excited cheers from the two people earlier.

"So you're Dani, but like, what's your story? I mean, nobody just moves to Forks you know?" Jessica said.

Angela nodded. "Yeah, the whole school wants to know. We were even thinking of writing a headliner for you and the chief's daughter."

"We still haven't seen her yet, though, but apparently she used to come here all the time for the summer when she was younger, so like, it makes sense she came back.

I made a noncommittal noise. Mom had dropped me off with the hopes I'd make friends, and so far, I was ready to disappoint if this was how all the conversations would go. "Well, you know, cheating dad, sad mom, daughter moves across the country from sunny beaches to gloomy forest. Not very interesting," I joked.

That seemed to get their attention. "Oh my god, like, no way. Your dad cheated?"

"Holy shit." I heard Tyler say from the side, chucking the football he had in his hands back at Mike, who caught it with a grunt.

I sighed, not wanting this reaction. "Yeah, he did."

They must have taken that for sadness because suddenly I had them swarming me with well wishes and hugs about how it would be okay and that Forks was great and how they'd be great friends. The last one got a laugh out of me, if only because they seemed decent and eager, which was fine by me at this rate.

"So, wait, you said sunny beaches, did you mean like California?" Angela asked.

"Oh, no, I meant all the way across the country from Miami, Florida."

"Holy shit!" Mike exclaimed. "That's so far, what the hell?"

I nodded in agreement. "The plane ride was a hassle, but hey it's over!"

I saw Jessica deep in thought and prompted her. "Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if that's why you're so tan. Apparently the other girl is from Arizona, so maybe she's tan too?" She said the latter more to herself than to me, but it did crack me up. Maybe the nerves were fading away. Or maybe it was the mania kicking in.

"Yeah, we gotta start teaching y'all how to tan, you guys are way too pale up here. I met Jasper and Alice Cullen and my first words were 'wow, you're white.' I made a fool of myself!" I laughed as I covered my face from embarrassment, but quickly noticed nobody else was laughing with me. Embarrassing. "Was it something I said?"

I glanced around and everyone was staring off at the side. There was the Volvo… so that meant… The Cullens stepped out of the two cars, a Jeep was parked next to it, and the whole world seemed to stop. I felt my breath hitch the same way it did yesterday. I saw him first. The wild hair in the wind and the sharp eyes planted on me. I felt a shiver go up my spine. He was beautiful in the way sunsets were, the light faded into dark, the clouds started turning colors, and ending in a midnight sky. I felt the danger. And I was so intrigued. The whole family was beautiful - white, but beautiful in a way that just didn't make sense.

Crossing my arms, I looked away before looking at them again. "I stand by what I said: they're really white."

A chorus of laughter enveloped me and I felt the tension leave my shoulders. I saw Jasper smile with most of the Cullens save for the copper haired one and the other blonde. Something about that just, I don't know. I just caught it. And it set me on edge. They seemed to be speaking to each other at least. But it just rubbed me the wrong way.

Checking the time, I decided I had wasted enough without going to the main office. I still needed my passes and schedule before starting the day, so I said my goodbyes and made my way over to the school building, passing the Cullens on the way. I spared a glance behind me, long enough to see the one with copper hair staring at me resolutely. Creepy. His lips quirked up. I furrowed my brows and walked faster - I didn't need paranoia to mix in with the mania today.

Classes passed as well as they could have. I had English first where we discussed The Crucible as part of our summer reading - boring. History, Chemistry, PE, but God, math was the worst; Calculus didn't make sense in English, Spanish, anything. I was hopeless in that class and started trying to spot people I could ask for help. Best ways to make more friends, I figured. I already knew I had Alice in English, along with the new girl.

Bella Swan. From what I noticed, everyone was fawning over her, and I relished in the fact I wouldn't be hounded as much now that there were two of us. I saw Angela and Jessica approach her, along with Mike and Tyler and somebody else at lunch. I sighed as I came to a stop in the lunch line. The food in any high school cafeteria was bad, but I knew the anxiety was getting to me, so lunch was a no go. I turned right back around and headed to the table my new acquaintances had settled on.

That is, I would've, if I hadn't bumped into someone and fallen. At least, I almost fell. Cold hands anchored me and I glanced up to see it was Alice.

"Oh." She smiled at me as I righted myself. "Thanks. Uh, how are you?"

"You saw me in English."

"Oh, yeah. I, uh, didn't speak to you then, though."

"Well, I'm good. How's your day been?"

I answered her even more awkwardly. This was like pulling teeth, and not even on Alice, just on me. I was hyperfixating on the cold hand that had grasped me. It was freezing. I know it was cold up here, but there was no reason to be that cold inside. And Esme, she was cold too.

"Dani?"

"Oh! Sorry, you lost me there." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck and looked to the side.

She laughed and it was like tinkling bells. The softest breath of laughter escaped her lips and I was mesmerized. I found myself staring at her deeply, in that moment wondering where this mysterious family came from. Before I could ask anything further, the copper-haired brother was striding towards us. He whispered something to Alice and dragged her away, with a pensive wave in my direction. I was left more confused than I already was, but shrugged it off. I had time to get used to it all. I guess.

Spanish was right after lunch. And it was here I saw him again after a whole day. He retained this calm air that had me wondering where the hell he learned it. Most high school kids weren't like that. The ones who were have gone through shit. So.

Standing at the front of the class waiting for the teacher to assign me to a seat - something I just didn't get, it was the first day of school and everyone already knew where to sit?! - I also just couldn't stop thinking about how cold Alice's hand had been. I know logically there had to be a reason for it. Like how anemic people are always cold. And who knows, maybe that's why Dr. Cullen adopted them, they all had anemia and he felt bad. What the fuck do I know?

"Miss Rivera? Kindly sit down."

I felt my face flush as I was brought back to the present as everyone snickered. Sagging my shoulders, I crossed the room to where Mr. Davis pointed to. It was next to Jasper, go figure. I tucked my head down and quickly slid into the seat beside him. I did notice the minute shift of him lifting his elbow off the table and sliding farther to the left from me. I tried not to take it to heart, but I felt even more self-conscious. The one class I should feel comfortable in suddenly felt like the dark water I was meant to be treading. I hate the ocean.

"Okay, we'll partner up now, do some exercises from last year to catch up and then we should run 'til the bell."

Everyone turned to their desk partner and started idling speaking in Spanish, apparently knowing exactly what was going on or making it up and talking shit in Spanish. What I'd give for better hearing, or less sensory overload for when everyone started talking at the same time. Maybe the discomfort was evident on my face because Jasper spoke up next to me with what could have been intrigue or concern.

"Estas bien? Te ves un poco pálida." You okay? You look a little pale.

I was in shock over the smooth twang of his Spanish. It was nothing like the Spanish I heard back in Miami. "Ah, si, si, estoy bien. Estoy un poco desorientada por la bulla." I was just disoriented from the noise.

"Bulla?"

"Ruido, sabes?" Like the noise, you know?

I let a smile make its way onto my face as I took note of Jasper trying to ease me into this class. Maybe it's because they all knew what it was like to be the new kids. "Pasará, estoy bien. Ahora, que deberíamos hacer?" I'm good. Now, what should we do?

And just like that, Spanish became my comfort zone again. Jasper complimented my Spanish, which I found to be ridiculous, I had to be good at Spanish growing up, so I found his excellent Spanish surprising. What white boy from Texas did I ever know who had such great comprehension of it? It definitely threw me for a loop, but I went with it. All too soon the first day of classes was over. I felt a deep sadness well up in me at the thought of having to go home. I couldn't quite pinpoint why. It came from nowhere and all of a sudden. I picked up my bag and headed over to the door when it was open in front of me. I blinked, before looking at the hand grasping the door handle. That white hand was stark against the dark grey of the door. I couldn't help but laugh, I guess the southern hospitality was hard to get rid of.

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen."

I didn't expect the deep, soothing laugh that escaped him. "Actually, My last name is Hale. It's Jasper and Rosalie Hale, she's my twin."

"Oh," I said, rather stupidly. That's what you get for making assumptions. "I'm sorry, I just thought -"

"Everyone makes that mistake."

I didn't really have anything else to say, so I scattered. Maybe he expected me to keep talking, but I just dipped. I didn't have the capacity to continue that conversation after making a fool of myself.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot." I kept muttering all the way over to the front of the school where I saw Mami's car parked. I rushed in and settled as quickly as I could while just repeating "go." My mom didn't question it until she was out of the parking lot and on the road, glancing at me from her periphery.

"So?"

"Please don't."

"Oh, come on, no podia ser tan malo."

"Oh, yes it could. I called Jasper 'Mr. Cullen!' His name is Jasper Hale!" I started on my rant. "I'm an idiot, Mom, who even says stuff like that here? Do you know how many times I noted people saying white shit? Like, really, really white shit? It was wild. I don't talk like them, Mami. It's so weird. Like I tried making friends and they called me over in the morning to their car, which is sketchy - I don't care how cold it is, I'm always weirded out by vans and will never sit in one like that again!"

"Mija, relax, you're freaking out," my mom said lightly.

"Mami, yo se! Of course, I'm freaking out! I just up and moved schools and thought it would be easy! It's so not." I sighed deeply, letting the tension dissipate from my shoulders. "I'm just glad there's another new girl. They forgot all about me by lunch, thankfully. No amount of fronting would have prepared me for another round of interrogations." I sighed again, this time leaning my head against the window, taking each bump in the road to my head. It worked well enough to ground myself.

"Well, would you like to hear about my day?"

I smiled to myself, hearing the excited tone in my mom's voice. "Go ahead, ma'am, I guess someone had a good day."

She launched into a whole monologue of how she went over to Esme's office with a few new pieces for someone's house in Seattle, and how Esme adored the sea glass shards in the painting. Said something about it being "new" and "fresh."

"And then! She said she'd love to contract me for a mural for the hospital! Can you believe it? I haven't done a mural in so long, I'm so nervous."

I couldn't help the pride I felt for my mom. I loved her art and I was glad she was getting the praise she deserved. "You know you're gonna do great, Mami. We all know it. And then all those little kids are gonna be, like, 'Oh, I wanna be an artist, too!'" We both laughed loudly as we rounded the corner to the house, only to find a motorcycle and Jasper waiting for us. I didn't stop the groan as I slammed my head back against the seat. "What does he want? Didn't I embarrass myself enough?"

I reluctantly got out of the car with my mom following. She greeted Jasper enthusiastically - traitor - and tried to lead him inside the house for coffee.

"Thank you, ma'am, but I just came to drop off Daniela's notebook, she left it when she left in a hurry," he explained, waving the spiral notebook a little to demonstrate.

I flushed at the blunt statement. "It wasn't a hurry," I muttered. He seemed to hear it and smirked. "I was just rushing because my mother was waiting for me."

"To be fair, you didn't know I was outside yet, it was just by chance," my mom said, for no reason if I may add!

I grumbled and walked over to him. "Thank you, Jasper, I appreciate it." The easy smile that passed his lips made me want to jump his bones. I mean, I didn't say that. Who said that?

I felt my own smile tug on my lips, something I hated vehemently because I wanted to mope more. It was like a wave of calm washing over me. It was gradual, but full. It reminded me of when I said high school was like an ocean. I'm deathly afraid of the ocean, but some instances, like when the tide rolls in over your toes, I can't help but think it's beautiful. That's how I saw Jasper: beautiful, but scary. There was an edge to him I still couldn't pinpoint. I thought of him and I thought contradictions. He was just so full of them. How could someone be so calm and charming? I also tried really hard to ignore how he shifted away from me in class. I just couldn't wrap my head around him; it made my head spin.

"Alright, so, who wants coffee?"

"Mom, he already said no. Leave the poor boy alone," I said, exasperated.

"Boy, huh?"

I jumped at the response. My mom had moved into the house already, so it was just us two outside now. Not even the windows were open for my mom to snoop. "Uh, yeah, you're, like, seventeen, c'mon."

He made a sound between a hum and a laugh, and I had the same reaction to his as Alice's: it sounded like bells. I shook my head in disbelief. It was impossible, there were too many similarities for them to all be adopted like that.

"Yes?" He was looking down at me from his towering height. I stood at five foot five and he was still so much taller.

"Yes?" I repeated.

"You look like you wanted to ask something. You kind of furrowed your brows, like this." He scrunched his eyebrows together and it was then you could tell Jasper had been through stuff. He had these deep set lines when he did that, like tried and true formations on his face. Suddenly, I didn't feel like asking questions. I thought it fair that we all have our secrets. I was reminded of this morning when I told all those other people why I moved here and was annoyed. They didn't need to know. I should've just shut up. I bet everyone now was going to look at me with pity. I wouldn't be able to stomach that from anyone, much less Jasper. I felt the urge to lie and give him another reason my mom and I moved, but I doubted he'd believe it.

"It's nothing," I decided on saying. "You should probably go home, I heard it gets dark here early."

"Actually," he started, grinning. "It doesn't get dark here until much later." I went to interrupt him and he casually put up a hand. "But I can see when I'm not wanted. Here you go." He handed me the notebook and glided away to the motorcycle that was leaning against the trunk of the big tree in front of our house. I didn't know much about bikes, but I sure as hell felt the manic energy want to ride on a motorcycle someday. Probably, though, not with Jasper Hale on it too.

He waved goodbye one last time before placing the helmet on his head, kicking the stand, and in the blink of an eye, he was racing down the street.

It wasn't fair for complicated people to be beautiful. It just wasn't - easy to understand people should be the most attractive ones, and yet, you don't see me falling for a one-track mind like Mike Newton. Gracias a Dios.

Scowling at that thought, I turned and headed inside, locking the door behind me. I was not even going to entertain that thought. I went upstairs to dump my backpack in the corner closest to the door, tossed the notebook onto the bed, and relished in the quietness. The school was noisy in the way school always would be. The buzz of having new students, the start of a new year, it all drew everyone in like moths to a flame. Taking a deep breath, I cleared my head of all the chaos, the anxiety, especially. It was over and I'd only need one more first day of school before I could go off and live in the woods somewhere.

I spent the rest of the day talking to my mom about little nothings, it was my favorite part to come home to. Dad was never much for little things, he always wanted big and bold, always forgetting about subtlety. Dinner was ground beef and white rice, my favorite. I have no doubt Mom thought of it ahead of time to try and cheer me up after classes. It was only when I came back upstairs that I was filled with dread again. My backpack wasn't next to the door. It was on the windowsill. My clothes were thrown around on the floor from my suitcase. This was not what I had left up here. I felt the panic rise up into a gurgled cry as I dropped to the floor. I tried so hard to not think about the worst situation. But the window was open too.


	3. Chapter 3

I heard the police sirens before I saw them. They came around the bend while I was waiting in the living room, my mom running her hands up and down my shoulders as a coping mechanism. For who, I'm not sure. She was just as shaken as I was when she came running up the stairs into my room to find me huddled into a ball, rocking back and forth. I had no words for this fuckery of what had transpired, or at least what I thought transpired. It was too fast to notice, but I thought… no. Nothing. I wouldn't say anything.

Charlie was the one who came up to the house while another police officer walked the perimeter of the house apparently, trying to find any footprints. "So, you said something about stuff being moved around in the room and then the window being open, huh?" I blankly nodded. He sighed and put his hands on his hips, looking around the living room before his eyes landed on my mom. "Well, I don't know what much to say other than we'll try and find the person responsible. They didn't take anything, right?" He glanced down at me for an answer. I shook my head. He sighed again. "Okay, well, we'll do a sweep of the house again and then go take it to the station. Whoever it was may have stayed around the area." Chief Swan turned to make his way out of the house, but stopped. "I'd also try and not stay here for a few nights, if you can."

He took his leave after that. My mom and I didn't move or say a word until the cruisers exited the driveway.

"I hate cops. They're never useful, fuck does he mean not stay here a few nights? Where else would we stay?" I muttered angrily.

"Come on, mija, they're just trying their best."

"Yeah, well, their best isn't enough, Mom." I got up with a huff and stormed away to my room. As much as I didn't want to be in there, I couldn't not be in there. I needed to look at everything. I needed to see just why the fuck someone would break in. It just didn't make sense. There had to be something I missed midway through my panic attack. From downstairs, I distinctly heard knocking on the door, but ignored it in favor of rifling through the clothes strewn about.

Are you checking to see if they took anything?

I let out a small shriek at the sudden voice behind me. I whirled around and saw none other than Jasper Hale standing in my doorway. He looked just as put together as he did in school earlier that day, calm aura enveloping him. I was frozen, stuck staring at him in awe. There was just no way someone could be this put together at all hours of the day.

"Jasper…" I shifted my arms to wrap around my middle. "What are you doing here?"

"Considering you just had a break in, I thought it was worth coming to check on you."

"Oh." My eyes traveled down to the floor, embarrassed by the sudden show of worry, not that he showed much emotion anyway. "Well, thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem. Carlisle and Esme are downstairs with your mother, asking her how she feels. Esme heard about the break in and insisted on having Carlisle check her out. You'll probably be called down soon enough too."

I smiled at the mention of the kind adoptive parents. They were good people, just like my mom said. Not many people would pass by this late at night just to see how someone was doing. That made me wonder, though.

"How did y'all hear about the break in?"

If I hadn't been staring intently at Jasper, I might have missed the flash of hesitation that crossed his face. Had I been more awake, maybe I would have challenged the response he gave me about word spreading fast in town, but I didn't have the energy to question him. Instead I chose to notice how he flexed his hands often, and breathed deeply sometimes. Especially when speaking. Okay, maybe I did a lot of spying on him in Spanish... and lunch, but whatever, it was noticeable! How could I not gravitate towards the way he had huge hands, and the way he had button downs open really open too?

"Daniela?"

I realized too late I was just standing there without saying a word. "Ha, uh, sorry about that." He only smirked in response. "I guess I should go downstairs and say hi." Jasper nodded and made to step out of the room, but he paused. His stare was set on something behind me, so I followed his gaze - it landed on the window. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, neither did Chief Swan when he came in and scoped it out. On God, I did not know what he was staring at. Then he suddenly moved back into the room so fast I barely caught the motion.

"Woah, what the fuck?" I stood there in shock as Jasper scratched at something on my windowsill. "Jasper?"

He remained silent, deciding to instead leave as abruptly as he came in, sweeping down the staircase, leaving me as confused as I've been since I got to this godforsaken town. "Literally, what the fuck is this place?" I muttered, choosing to follow the confusing teenager. Downstairs seemed to be in an uproar. Carlisle was at the foot of the stairs, looking up at the landing where I was, Esme at his side consoling my mother who looked like she was about to faint, and Jasper was there beside his adoptive father, whispering so low I heard nothing. "What's going on, Jasper?" I asked as I came down the rest of the stairs. They didn't spare a glance as they spoke, they just kept speaking. I was fed up. My anxiety was at an all time high and I was not having it anymore. "Hello?" I shouted, regret trickling in as I saw them look up at me. Something in my facade must have given away I was about to become unhinged as their eyes held pity. I felt something in me shift as the fight drained out. I leaned more heavily onto the banister and held my head with my other hand. "Oh, fuck."

I felt cold hands on me, guiding me from the stairs to a seat. They were soft to the touch and so freezing that it calmed me down. The hands brushed against my forehead, moving misplaced strands of hair aside.

"She's so warm, Carlisle." Jasper's alluring voice was like the most beautiful ballad I'd ever heard. At that moment, I thought I could sit and listen to him forever. "She's burning up."

I vaguely understood they were speaking about me, and I could feel my mom's warm fingers clutching at mine, but I could also feel the fever they were talking about. I hadn't realized I was burning up in the midst of all the panic. It made sense, though. Considering what I saw… who wouldn't be worried sick, literally.

I mumbled my mom's name, trying to catch her attention from where she was conversing desperately with Esme and Carlisle. She wasn't the one who answered, Jasper was.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and through the haze, though he may have been pressing his hand to my forehead, I noticed he was now keeping his distance with his face contorted almost as if in pain.

I weakly smiled at him, stuck on the thought that he had the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen. The amber color was entrancing. "Nothing… you know," I started, "you have really pretty eyes."

"Ay, Dios, she's delirious," my mother cried.

Carlisle crossed the room quickly and with hands checked my forehead as well and flashed a light in my eyes. Where he got it from, I have no clue. After a few seconds of back and forth he stepped back.

"She has a mild fever, but she should be fine with sleep. The stress from the night must have gotten to her," he concluded. He gave me a nod and asked if I needed help getting back upstairs. To my shock, and I think everyone's in the room, Jasper offered to take me upstairs. He wrapped one of my arms around his shoulders, lifting me off the ground at an awkward angle, and put his other arm around my waist to steady me. I was too far gone in the moment to consider how the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen was this close to me. But God, I wish I'd reveled in that moment more.

He pushed the covers aside and let me sit myself down. I felt woozy, that was the only way to describe it. I pushed a hand to my forehead and let myself fall back against the pillows, kicking off my slippers as I did. I vaguely understood Jasper saying something about leaving and seeing me tomorrow, but I didn't respond. I snuggled deeper into the sheets and clutched at the duvet. I let myself fall into a fitful sleep.

The first thing I registered were the red eyes. A shiver ran down my spine, the goosebumps coming after. My feet shuffled back, one following the other tentatively, anything to put distance between the red eyes and my body. The very presence of those eyes were haunting and I could feel the temperature of the room dropping. Something wasn't right - those eyes weren't normal. Once the red eyes shifted closer to me, I broke out into a full blown run. I heard the tiles and heels of its shoes clicking after behind me, fast, faster, and then I ran into a wall. I looked up and saw them there. This wasn't a wall. This was… whatever this was.

In a flash, it had a hand around my neck, squeezing every last breath out of me. I couldn't breathe. I was going to die. But, this is a dream. It had to be. But why was it so realistic?

I struggled to lift an arm up to push away at the thing crushing my windpipe to no avail. Is this how I would die?

I let myself fall limp in its arms, choosing the easy way out if it meant this would stop and my heart would stop racing so fast I was having trouble breathing. It would be so easy to just -

I startled awake, seeing nothing but darkness. I shifted in my tangled sheets, thrashing every which way to get free of the constraints. With a thump, I landed on the floor, my head knocking back onto my nightstand. With a groan, I sat up, my legs still tangled in sheets and duvet. I reached behind me and felt around my scalp for the source of pain. Retracting my hand, I found it stained with red. With another groan, I slumped back, careful not to hurt my head again.

I checked the clock on the wall and noticed it was about to be seven in the morning. Deciding it was worth it to get up seeing as I had school and was no longer delirious, I rolled over out of the mess of sheets. I tossed everything back on the bed and threw a cursory glance around the room, freezing in place once more. The window was open again.

I laughed nervously. This was a fucking joke, my mom must have just opened it to circulate some cold air, that had to be it. There couldn't be something else. It couldn't be… that.

I heard a rap on my door and dragged my eyes away from the open window. My mom crept into the room hesitantly, nothing like she normally was, as crossed the room to hold me in her arms. I felt the stress of the night emerge again and I allowed myself to collapse in her arms like I did when we found out about Dad. I felt like a baby again. I was sobbing, ugly crying that made my face hurt, and my mom whispered in my ear, completely oblivious to how much I was starting to hate this place. I had only been here a few days. God help me.


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone was quick to mock the dark circles under my eyes. It didn't seem to deter any of my new friends that we'd only just met - they rolled with the critiques, especially Jessica.

"They're, like, so, so dark, Dani, what did you do?" she asked, biting into her forkful of salad.

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I don't know, I slept badly, what else could it be?"

Eric perked up at that. "Well, you do know there's a bunch of maulings happening around here right now. Wouldn't it be so cool if you saw one?" The boys seemed to agree, save for the green tinge to Mike's face. Weak stomach, I bet, not that I blame him.

I laughed abruptly at the thought, catching the table's attention. My eyes cut across the table to Bella who was sitting right across from me. We hadn't had a chance to properly speak yet, and I was curious. Her dad came last night to the house, maybe she'd heard something. "Hey, Bella."

She seemed shocked I addressed her, but nodded anyway. "Did your dad say anything about last night?"

Everyone seemed to shut up. Angela was the first to break the silence, though. "What happened last night, Dani?" She asked apprehensively.

"Did you… and the chief…" Tyler started, seeming to blush.

It took me a second to figure out what the fuck he was going on about. And then it hit me. High school boys and sex. I groaned so loudly I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole cafeteria heard. "Are you an idiot, Tyler?" I shouted. Between the shouting, the frown, and the deep purple bags under my eyes, I must have been a sight. "My house was broken into, mongolico! Someone climbed in through my window and broke into my room last night and Chief Swan came to check it out. God, I swear," I started mumbling, more to myself than anything. The table erupted into laughter at Tyler's expense. Mike and Eric shoving Tyler around a little until he stood up and left, lunch abandoned. Angela assured me he was fine before inquiring more about last night's incident.

I started retelling the story I'd told Charlie, but adding in more about the nightmare - Jessica at least had the decency to look ashamed - but I left out the part about the… yeah. I didn't want them thinking I was crazy, even if I was, they didn't need to know. I heard a particularly loud snort about the din of the cafeteria, but shrugged it off. Someone else must've been telling a story too. Wish I was listening to that one instead of my own.

Bella chimed in eventually to say Charlie didn't recount much aside from warning her to stay on main roads and not go into the woods with all that was happening lately. Nobody had to tell me twice. Woods and I do not mix well. All too soon the bell was ringing and we started packing up to head to class. In my mind, I had only one thought: I'd have to see Jasper. Which meant thinking about last, and how I acted, and how he took me to bed? Ay, dios mio, kill me now. No one questioned my flushed face as I walked through the busy halls. I was at the doorway for my Spanish class far sooner than I would have liked and lingered in front of it, jostled by the waves of students coming and going down the hallways.

I took a deep breath and went to grab the handle, when I heard a deep rumble of laughter behind me. "Do you plan on standing there for the whole class, Daniela?"

The flush got worse. My hand fumbled and missed the doorknob, so I wound up smacking it against the doorway instead. "Oh, fucking hell!" I balled up my hand and opened the door with my other hand and sped up until I reached my seat… which was next to the aforementioned boy. He sat in his seat with a grin and turned to me.

"Entonces, señorita Daniela, ¿cómo andas?"

My face was still aflame, my hand still hurt like a bitch, and my heart was thudding against my ribcage still from his laugh, and the only thing that I could think of saying was, "Come mierda, singado."

The only issue was the classroom was now deathly silent, and everyone was looking at us, including the teacher. Mr. Davis did not look happy. "Ms. Rivera," he started in a strained voice. "While I appreciate your use of the Spanish language, we do not tolerate such vulgar language in our classrooms. I'll have to send you to the office."

My flushed face blanched. My mother would kill me if they called her from the principal's office. I immediately started trying to back my way out of that when I felt a hand on my back. "Disculpa, Señor Davis, era una reacción a darse contra la puerta, no es lo que piensas. ¿Me permites llevarla a la enfermera?

If I hadn't grown up listening to Spanish my whole life, maybe I would have been dumbstruck listening to Jasper Cullen's flawless Spanish. Instead, I was dumbstruck by the frigid hand he had placed on my back. I mean, we were inside, it was warmer inside, why is her frigid?

Everyone else, however, was enamored with Jasper Hale, much like they were with the rest of the Cullen family, with reason, of course. I was just kind of sidetracked at the moment, so I couldn't focus on the dazzling smile he gave the teacher before leading me up out of the chair and out the door.

By the time I realized we weren't heading anywhere near the nurse's office they had shown me on the first day, Jasper had already led me to the back entrance of the school. My fight or flight instinct kicked in. I forgot about my hand and the hand that was still on my back and whirled around on him.

"Okay, Jasper, what the hell?" I exclaimed, throwing me hands to the side and trying my hardest to ignore the throb in my hand. "What was that all about?"

He only smiled. "I just thought it seemed pointless to stay in a class where we're clearly beyond the curriculum, that's all."

I stood there, literally no words could come to mind. He was leaning against the lockers, at peace apparently with the fact he was aiding me in cutting class on my second day of school here. His blonde hair was hanging loose and in his eyes, his golden eyes. There was something so off-puttingly attractive to them. It threw me off. How could a family be that... pretty? And they aren't blood related! Well, except Rosalie and Jasper, I suppose. His whole demeanor was that of a cool boy, too smart for school, and his family just seemed too out of place in this town, and he thought cutting class was the move? I had to laugh.

And I did. Loudly, in fact. It was a full-bodied laugh that came from realizing the ridiculousness of this scenario. What would Jessica be saying if she found out Jasper pulled me out of class for thinking I was too good for the Spanish class we were in? Oh, she'd shit herself, her and the whole school if we didn't go back to class. People talk, that I know. And I didn't come to Forks for people to talk about me again.

"This is ridiculous, Jasper, this isn't a movie, this is real life with consequences and I'm going to wind up in detention because you thought you were cool!" I huffed and went to walk around him when he put his cold hand on me again. This time I was so close to him I could look past his fringe and see the golden eyes properly. He was still taller than me, but it felt like space was shrinking. Not actually, more, mentally. Like he was letting me in, but that's ridiculous too, no?

All of a sudden I felt much calmer and even giggly, like when I have champagne for New Years. The change was prominent. I could feel a rush of nerves coiling in my stomach. My toes were curling, I was smiling, I even dared put my own hands on his chest. My hands splayed out across his clothed chest, and all I wanted to do was rip it off him. I bit my lip and glanced up at him. Those eyes were boring into my soul. Feeling bold, or better said, stupid, I asked Jasper, "Why are your eyes so weird looking?"

A beat passed and then he smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

I felt the air rush out of me from seeing those lips curve. In that moment, all I wanted was Jasper to kiss me senseless. But that was a fool's wish. In the back of the school where no one could find us, I'd be happy…

Wait. What? I shoved Jasper back and stumbled to the side to make my way past him. There was no way I'd want to kiss this ass! Self-assured, self-righteous, self-absorbed ass!

"Not what you wanted, Daniela?" He was looking at me now again, but differently, like I was an interesting find. It was different to how he was staring at me in class, this, I was his specimen. And I didn't like it. I strode away, hoping to hide out in the bathroom until the bell rang.

The class after Spanish was History and I spent most of it in a daze. There was no getting his face out of my head. God, I sounded so stupid, why would I want to kiss him of all people? Sure, he was handsome, but I didn't know him like that! All of History was spent rethinking the same thoughts. I had Edward Cullen in the class to make it worse. I kept staring at the back of his head from my seat at the window. He kept sighing, his shoulders slumping occasionally; something had him in a mood too, I guess. I could only imagine what I looked like, making faces as I replayed the conversations over and over.

I was played! Manipulated! I don't know how, but I would never throw myself at this dude when I didn't know him, or even remotely like him. Okay, that's a lie, I do like him, but not when I'm sequestered off to the edge of nowhere where people can't hear me scream if I'm murdered! That just screams creep.

I sighed too loudly and got Bella's attention. The whole time she'd been staring at Edward too, I'd noticed, but probably for different reasons. I hadn't seen Jasper cozying up to her so I wonder what had her like that. I moved my hair forward as Ms. Stone passed up and down the rows of tables lecturing. Peeking through the curtain of hair, I noticed Edward tense up and shoot his hand in the air, asking quickly to be excused, except he took his bags? Ms. Stone seemed to also be confused, but let it slide. He must be a favorite.

Whatever. All I know is, I want nothing to do with the Cullen family when I can help it. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen are phenomenal people but their kid crossed a line and I'm not here for the fuckery of it. The bell rang soon enough, marking the end of the day. Automatically everyone started talking about what to do after school. I shared the class not just with Bella but Angela and Tyler too. I vaguely heard them talking about a beach and this weekend, but I was packing up my stuff too fast to catch most of it.

"Dani!"

"Huh?" I looked up blankly at the three faces peering down at me.

Angela smiled kindly. "I asked if you wanted to come this weekend. To the beach."

"Oh, uh, sure, yeah. Which beach, exactly? And I'm assuming it's not the kind of beach I'm used to, right?"

They all laughed a little at that comment while nodding. Tyler said, "Yeah, these beaches are cold! Definitely not the Miami weather you're used to."

"It's on the Quileute reservation, it's only a little ways away. We're going in Mike's car."

I considered it for a second. If I stayed home, Mom might want me to go hang out in the office with Mrs. Cullen and that could mean seeing the rest of the Cullens. I'd take my chances at the beach.

Just to be sure, though, I asked, "Would the Cullens go?"

Tyler seemed to find that hilarious and bust out laughing. "No way! They don't go around those parts. Everyone knows that."

"Well, Tyler, I wouldn't know, now would I?" I quirked a brow and shrugged my backpack up. I turned to Angela and Bella and said bye to them, heading to the parking lot to wait for my mom.

The ride home was mostly quiet, the unease climbing the closer we got to the house. I knew my mom was taking the break in just as hard, but I didn't have it in me to try and ease the tension. Between what happened today during Spanish and the general vibe of the school day, I was spent.

"Mija," my mom said. I glanced over at her before looking back out the window. "Mija, come on, I promise it isn't this bad normally. Nothing has happened to me the whole time I've been here! I swear, and the people are sweet. You met the Cullens, they're wonderful!" I snorted. "And the Chief, and his daughter, all the locals, they all welcomed me when I got here."

I looked at her profile questioningly. "So is this to say I came and everything went to shit?"

She groaned, closing her eyes for a second. Gripping the wheel, she continued. "Listen, Dani, I know the past few months have been hard for you - they've been hard for me too, and I appreciate you coming up here. I didn't say that enough the other day."

I let her words sink in. I know what she was saying was true, I was just in a bad mood. I sighed and nodded in agreement. You didn't need to be next to my mom to feel her change in mood. It was evident in the bright smile she bore and the way she straightened out. I let myself smile too.

"So, how was school?"

Now it was my turn to groan. "Ay, mami! That boy affronted me!"

She laughed so hard. "What boy, mija?"

"Jasper!" She laughed even harder. "Mom! Please!"

She went to wipe a tear, but swerved all of a sudden. I let out a shout as I grabbed my seat belt tighter. The shriek of the brakes was so loud in my ears. I shut my eyes and braced against the car door. The smash of the hood against a tree was deafening.

I opened my eyes and saw spots everywhere. I lifted my head slowly and turned to the side. My mom was slumped against the wheel.

"Mom." I inched forward and went to shake my mom's shoulder. She barely moved. I let out a shuddering breath. "Oh, God. Oh.. Oh my god." I got my phone out with shaking hands and slumped back in my seat, shocked still. The line rang and rang and rang and then it clicked.

"Hi, hello, uh. My mom just crashed into a tree." The panic over the phone was in one ear and out the other. "Uh, yeah, I'm down the main road. Coming from the school. Yeah. Okay. Uh, thank you." I clicked the end call button and let my hand drop to my lap.

This was shock. It had to be, right? I vaguely heard another car on the road, but I was in my head. I was convinced that this place was cursed. This was hell on earth. The people sucked, the weather sucked, hell the roads suck - I don't even know what the fuck Mom hit or saw or why the fuck she crashed and now she's probably going to have a concussion -

"Hey, hey, Daniela!" I could hear the knocking on the window and looked over to see Edward Cullen himself. My fucking God, these fucking Cullens. I saw his lips twist upwards minutely But all I could really focus on were his eyes. Those fucking golden eyes. I was in a fury. I ripped the seatbelt off, aware that someone else was on the other side of the car trying to yank open my mom's car door.

I threw open the door, watching Edward back away. "You fucking people. I swear to God! I hate this place. What the fuck is up with all of this? Why do you guys show up everywhere? It's been two fucking days and I've seen you more than I've seen anyone else! Explain that," I exclaimed, shoving him just the same as I shoved Jasper, but this time Edward didn't budge. I shoved him with all I had and he wouldn't move. Instead, he gripped my shoulders and held me as far from him as he could while still holding on.

"You're not okay, Daniela. You're angry, that's okay, but you need to calm down." He slowly let go of my shoulders and I let myself fall against the car. "You and your mom just crashed, you have that to worry about first. We were heading home and saw the car. Now, do you want to come with us or wait for the ambulance? We can call Carlisle and he'll be there to treat you and your mom."

I watched him for a long time, examining him. He was pale, his hands cold, and his eyes so unnatural it was almost they were so, so pretty, I couldn't put it together. He didn't have to be kind, he didn't have to be doing this. His siblings and parents didn't have to check in on me, on my mom, no, maybe they did, my mom was colleagues with Esme, sure, but beyond that? What responsibility did they have to help?

"Okay." I nodded and dropped my shoulders, my rage flattening. I needed to talk to Carlisle.

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I hope the mood manipulation makes sense! Also, her own mood swings will be explained soon! Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

I've never liked hospitals. They always reminded me of the Accident. It was too clean, too neat, too claustrophobic. But I had to be here for Mom, and I guess to check myself out too according to Edward. They had me on a bed next to my mom and I was currently surrounded by Cullens. The doctor himself, his wife, and Edward. I found out once I was in his car that Alie and Jasper were also inside - Rosalie and Emmett rode in a different car and went on ahead to the house to get Esme. For what reason, I don't know. This whole family baffled me, sincerely.

I was brought away from my racing thoughts by Dr. Cullen standing in front of me now. I looked up at him and gave him what I hoped was a smile, but probably turned out to be more of a grimace. He smiled back.

"Your mother will be fine. She'll have a few minor stitches for the cut on her forehead, and have to take something for the pain, but she'll be making a full recovery before you know it," he relayed."

I tried harder to give him a proper smile, he deserved as much for treating my mom. "Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it."

He nodded. "Now, how about we see about that potential concussion Edward mentioned."

I noticed Esme move to fluff my mother's pillows and Edward beside his father hanging on to every word he spoke like he understood the medical terminology. I couldn't focus any longer on that thought because Dr. Cullen began his examination. He shined a light in my eyes, made me follow his finger as he moved it, felt for bumps, the whole nine yards. In the end he concluded the ringing in my ears meant I had a concussion, so no sleep.

As he put away his tools, he said, " If you want, I could have one of my children keep you company. I'm sure Alice would love to."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Are you just sacrificing your children to me? I could be a demon and be awful and make them cry. Really."

He chuckled at that, as did Esme and Edward, the latter having to cover his mouth from smiling too wide - bet it would ruin his image. "I'm sure you wouldn't. You'll find my children are rather… extraordinary," he said, hesitating on the last word, but ultimately smiling.

I still felt rather uncomfortable with the idea and knew he could tell, but nodded anyway. He told me Edward would drop Alice off later than, reassuring me Alice was lovely.

"Oh, I know that much, she seemed wonderful when she visited. It's me I'm worried about," I muttered. I felt a hand on my shoulder. The same frigid sensation captivated me. I glanced up to see Dr. Cullen smiling once more. He was staring at me intently, almost as if he wanted to communicate with me, but I couldn't crack the code. I just nodded along.

He let me leave, insisting Esme would drop my mom up when she awoke, something about also having to decide on designs for a client. That meant Edward was left to take me home. It was an awkward time, zero out of ten, would not recommend. He would just glance over periodically and frown, throwing me off. I know I had mood swings, but this boy needed help too. I settled for crossing my arms and assuming there would be no conversation for the twenty minute drive.

"Is there anything you want to ask?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly. Guess he didn't get the quiet-time-in-car memo.

"Not particularly, why?"

He shrugged as he turned a corner. "Most people do when they move. Especially when they've had an exciting few days like you."

I snorted. "Oh, I'm sure. Nothing like a break in to warm you up to a place. And nothing like a car crash to make it even more special. Don't see that happen back to back every day."

He smiled without looking over. He took a hand off the wheel to crack open the window. "I should say sorry in Jasper's place, but I think he should apologize for the shock he gave you," he said.

I glared at him for bringing up that topic, but then tilted my head to the side questioningly. "How'd you know about that?" He gave me a look. I nodded. "Right, siblings. Well, he should apologize himself. That wasn't funny. In fact, that was borderline harassment. I mean, who takes someone to some place secluded and pulls that shit?" I sighed. "These people were right."

"Let me guess. They said we're in incestuous relationships and are freaks?" He glanced over at me for confirmation.

I'm sure I looked a little embarrassed to say the least. "Maybe not in those exact words," I mumbled.

He chuckled. "Heard it before."

I looked over. "You know, you all seem to hear a lot. Is this town really that small that everyone knows everyone's business?"

Edward seemed to consider his words before ultimately saying, "Not if you try."

"What does that mean?"

"You'll find out some day."

I frowned and faced forward again. "You know, you sound like you're older than you actually are. What teenager speaks that cryptically? Honestly, my guy, catch up to the present day."

He bit his lip, but said nothing else on the subject. The rest of the drive was quiet. Edward Cullen, I was convinced, was weird. The rest of the family too, but him especially. He seemed… wise wasn't the right word - more like nosy and too well-spoken for his age. I've met mature kids, sure, and a lot of the time mature just meant traumatized from a young age; he was adopted like the rest of his siblings so that checked out. I just couldn't seem to place why he was how he was. I didn't know the guy. I didn't know the family. I didn't know anything about this godforsaken town and it bothered me to my core.

We arrived at the house not soon enough. I thanked Edward for the ride and offered him something to drink for the hassle, but he refused. I shrugged it off and walked into the house. Leaning back against the front door, I sighed deeply and let my body relax for the first time in what seemed like days.

I let my backpack drop to the floor and trudged into the kitchen. I deserved food. Pulling out leftovers from last night to reheat, I turned on the TV to the news. I listened to it in the background, listening for talk of the woods and stuff, anything to let me know the person was still loose. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping today, and mom probably had enough work to keep her awake throughout the night, so I didn't have to worry about her. What I had to worry about was keeping up with Alice Cullen. She was fashionable, exuberant, intelligent, and overall a perfectly fine human from what I could tell. She had good takes in English, spoke with a passion, and I admired that. Not that I'd say it aloud, but it was a nice thought to have.

I sipped my water and stared out the window. I knew I had to call my psych soon, I should have already, but oh well, shit happened. Literally. She'd probably get on my ass about increasing dosages, and I wasn't ready to have that conversation, not when everything was turning on its head. I sighed deeply and sadly, feeling it from my toes to my brain, and knew today would be even longer.

The bell rang and I figured it had to be Alice. Putting away the dish and glass in the sink, I made my way back to the front door, kicking my bag aside while I was at it. Once the door was opened, I knew it was a bad idea.

There stood Alice Cullen, but not with Edward Cullen, no. Jasper was there too, leaning against a black motorcycle. Before I could help myself, I quipped, "Is it even legal for teenagers to have motorcycles?"

Alice beamed and Jasper - I saw even from far away - smirked. "The Chief is rather lenient when he has other things to worry about," he called back. He made his way over to the front door and out his arm around Alice. "Surprised you didn't hear us coming."

I sneered, not quite over his actions from earlier today. I chose to instead focus on his sister and smile at her. "It's good to see you again, Alice."

"Same here!" She reached into her tote and pulled out a few notebooks. "I figured we could catch up on some homework since you couldn't sleep, so I brought over Jasper's notes from last year. Mrs. Alcaster never changes the curriculum."

I smiled tightly. "Oh, good. Thanks." I stepped to the side and let them come in, yes, both of them, no matter how much I wanted to literally kick Jasper to the curb, him and his stupid motorcycle. I settled for kicking the door closed behind me, shutting with a satisfying bang. I watched as they made their way to the center of the living room and idly looked around.

"You can sit, you know? Or if you want we can go up to my room. It's still a little messy from moving, but if you're okay with that…" My sentence trailed off as I saw Alice light up.

She turned to me so fast I wondered how she didn't break her neck. "Do you mind if I look through your clothes?"

I stared at her confused, wondering what the catch was. Jasper seemed to catch on because he explained. "Alice's hobby is fashion. Stick around long enough and you'll see she never repeats an outfit."

"Over my dead body," she emphasized.

I nodded and kept my thoughts to myself. Seemed weird to not repeat outfits, I mean, what do you do with the clothes later? I shook the thoughts away as I led the two up the stairs. I didn't know them, I didn't know them, I didn't know them, who am I to judge? Whatever.

I sat down on my bed and gestured towards the closet as an open invitation. Jasper took a seat at my desk, sitting backwards on the chair. I saw reason enough to ask why his brother couldn't make it.

"So, how come Edward couldn't bring you, Alice?"

She flicked through the hanging fabrics as if she belonged there - some part of me wanted to smile seeing that. "Eddie had to run an errand."

I laughed at the nickname. The siblings glanced over at me questioningly. "I'm sorry," I said, snorting again. "I just can't imagine someone like him going by 'Eddie'."

Jasper tilted his head, looking like he was considering what I said. "I guess you could say that. Edward is an enigma, though, there's so much you don't know."

I scoffed. "Thank God for that." My eyes widened as I realized I said that aloud. The two siblings looked nonplussed, but I felt even more guilty seeing that. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, you probably did," Alice offered with a soft smile. "But that's alright. It's not new or anything."

My heart broke hearing that. "It's not okay, dude. I mean, I'd rather be upfront than say it behind your backs, like sure you're weird or at least I think you're weird - I've got beef with you, Jasper, especially after what you tried today - but that's just what I think. What I think shouldn't matter. I'm just... nobody," I finished lamely. I looked up at them both from my seat on the bed, only to find them staring at each other. I didn't have a sibling, adopted or not, so I had no clue what it was like, that sibling telepathy. It was astounding.

Alice turned to look at me with a smirk. "If you're a nobody, why are your clothes so nice? Seriously, I thought coming from Miami you wouldn't have anything for the cold."

I was at a loss for words. I expected them to get upset, storm out, throw a fit, call me a bitch, the usual, but they just… didn't react? What the actual fuck? "I- I, yeah, I mean…" I let myself trail off as the two began to laugh. I was oblivious to their inside joke, but I didn't seem to mind. I started laughing with them.

The next few hours consisted of Alice throwing clothes on the bed and making outfits out of them, insisting I wear them this week. Jasper sat back and read a book he had hidden away somewhere. For the first time since arriving in Forks, I felt at peace. This reminded me of the little things, hanging out with friends after school, that is, not that the Cullens were my friends, but the actions were the same. I also wish it was under better circumstances, not after a car crash. That reminded me.

"Hey." They both either glanced up or stopped talking to look at me. "Did anyone figure out what it was my mom saw that made her crash? I didn't see anything, I was staring out the passenger window."

A tense silence filled the room. I wasn't stupid. I had a sixth sense for these things, but they looked so genuinely uncomfortable I couldn't bring myself to interrogate them like I wanted to. I'd ask my mom later if anything, you know, once she felt better.

I let it slide and with a shrug said, "Must've been a deer or something."

Alice went back to rifling through my clothes, but Jasper stayed looking at me. I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my head. No matter how much I tried ignoring it, he was persistent. After a while of it, I got frustrated and asked if there was something he wanted. He said yes. To talk. Again.

I stuttered out some excuse about Alice being here and it not being okay to just abandon guests, to which he said he was a guest too, which had Alice giggling. She waved me off when I tried to use a different excuse, leaving me with no choice but to agree. She grinned and said she'd be downstairs, claiming that she'd organize the notes on the kitchen table. In that moment, I hated her.

She glided out of the room and down the stairs. Jasper and I were left alone far too soon. I let the empty silence fill the space between us. Jasper leaned forward over the chair, crossing his arms and resting his head on them. I was never one to shy away from a stare, but his was piercing. It felt like he could look through me.

The silence carried on, and I could hear whispers of Alice moving around in the kitchen. I closed my eyes and focused on that, hoping Jasper would wimp out and leave it be. Alas, things never go my way.

"I'm sensing I should start talking then? Unless, of course, you've been thinking of an opener for the conversation."

I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. "No, Jasper. Honestly? I was hoping you would just leave it alone considering you harassed me," I retorted.

He laughed loudly and I was reminded of what I thought of him when I first met him: he was beautiful, down to his laugh. He was like chimes in the wind, ringing, impressionable. And I hated him for it because a part of me wished I hadn't come to my senses in that deserted hallway.

I sat up suddenly and leant forward with my elbows on my knees, angled towards the traitorously gorgeous blond. "All I have to say is that whatever was going to happen then, will never happen - never," I said, gritting my teeth.

Jasper smirked. I felt my heart stop. He grinned even wider. " And pray tell, what was going to happen?"

I bit my lip and stayed silent. He was just baiting me. Then, to make matters worse and convince me that my heart was about to fully stop functioning, he stood up and walked the short distance to the bed. The same flicker of emotion happened as earlier. I felt my eyes droop and my shoulders relax as Jasper couched in front of me. Rationally, I knew there was no reason to let my guard down in front of this boy. There was all the reason in the world to keep them up, build a wall, barricade myself behind it. Alice was downstairs too, and I didn't need her to stroll in and see this happen. But I couldn't help myself. I felt my body inching closer to his. His golden eyes were captivating, and for the slightest second I could have sworn I saw them turn black, but I was too far gone to care.

"What do you reckon is about to happen, ma'am?"

"Oh, God, wouldn't I like to know," I whispered.

A cold hand trailed up my forearm. It went up, all the way to the junction between my shoulder and neck, cradling my jaw. It sent shivers down my spine. Against my better judgement, I leaned into Jasper's hand. I could no longer hear Alice shuffling around downstairs and let myself enjoy the moment. I closed my eyes and basked in Jasper's presence. I felt at peace, and almost eager for something to happen, but for what I didn't know.

I felt the blond move in even closer to me. I blinked open my eyes and his nose was almost touching mine. If I moved even an inch closer… I didn't want to let myself think that. It shouldn't happen. But what if?

As if the world wanted to punish me, I heard the resounding bang of the front door slamming open. I dropped my head forward and let it hit Jasper's forehead.

He chuckled. "I guess we won't know, hm?"

I sighed and reluctantly withdrew myself from his hold, still feeling sluggish. I'd deal with my torrent of emotions later. Jasper retracted his hand and stood, dusting off his pants. I could hear Alice again, speaking with Esme and my mother. Sighing, again, I rubbed my face furiously before standing up. Jasper already had the door open and I stepped through, leading the way downstairs.

I saw my mom before I noticed anything else. She looked battered and bruised, but she was here and that's all I wanted. I ran up to her without waiting to say hi to Esme, my only concern being my mother and being able to hug her as hard as I could. Hospitals were not our favorite.


	6. Chapter 6

The night was spent with a lot of laughter, suppressed laughter on my end, but laughter nonetheless. Alice was a joy and had a knack for making people feel safe. Contrary to her brother. I was on edge the whole night until Esme and Jasper left in their respective vehicles, leaving Alice there for the night. We waved them off and delved deep into a story of Alice's first year in Forks, but no matter how engaging Alice was and how worried I was about my mother, at the edge of my mind, I still wondered what the hell I was doing letting Jasper get close to me. Hell, I didn't know the guy. I knew he was brilliant, the whole family was, anyone could tell you that, just like how they were all beautiful, but there was something nagging me about the whole scenario. There was no reason for me to feel an instant attraction - and so strong an attraction at that - all of a sudden. It was like a switch was flicked on the minute I saw him. I was absolutely, resolutely captivated by Jasper Hale. And I loathed to admit it.

"Daniela, you're being rude," I heard my mother say. I nodded vaguely and shuffled back into the couch, curling into myself. Between the ringing in my ears and the nausea, I was catatonic at the moment. "Daniela," my mom repeated. I didn't have it in me to respond.

"Maria, how about we go to sleep? It's pretty late and you two have had it rough," Alice suggested. "Dani and I can go do our homework for a while and then turn in. You, though, ma'am, should go to bed already."

"Carlisle said not to sleep, darling." My mother smiled, and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

Alice winked. "But he didn't say anything against staying up and planning designs."

Looking thankfully at the Cullen, my mom nodded and with a groan stood up from the couch. I quietly bid my mom goodnight, to which she responded by patting my head. I stretched out onto the entirety of the couch now that my mom had gone upstairs. Alice still sat primly opposite me on the other seat with her legs crossed at her ankles.

I turned my head to lay my cheek on the cushion and looked at her full on. She was tiny and yet carried herself with so much charisma. It wasn't like Edward or Jasper, they commanded attention with their height alone. Alice was different. She had the aura of a mastermind. She may have been energetic with my mom, but now that she was gone, her shoulders had loosened and her legs were more relaxed too. It made me wonder if she put up a facade at school as well.

"Alice."

She turned her head from where it was staring out the window to look at me. "Yes?" She asked, smiling.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, focusing on her eyes. "Why do you all have golden eyes?"

If I had a dollar every time I was surrounded by silence in the presence of a Cullen, I had no doubt I would be as rich as them soon enough. Alice kept eye contact. Even when I wanted to break it, I couldn't find myself able to. It was the pull I felt near Jasper, but different. It was like I lost all motor ability, all my functions. I was trapped.

Alice finally smiled softly and said, "We just all wear contacts, silly. Keeps up the family appearance, you know?" She stood and brushed down her skirt. "Do you want to do our homework now?"

I nodded dumbly. What else could I say to that? To each their own. Each family had its thing. Mine consisted of a serial cheater, a traumatized artist, and a kid with serious mental health issues, go figure.

The night went fine, if you consider the feeling of wanting to vomit mixed with the consumption of a few energy drinks on my end and Alice staying up perfectly fine, only yawning occasionally, fine. It baffled me how she could stay up without anything to keep her up. I offered her everything from coffee to tea to a Red Bull - God knows why my mom had that in the fridge. Regardless, we did our English homework without a hitch. Alice had the funniest takes on The Crucible and some of the most insightful points I'd ever heard too. One second we were making fun of the way Abigail was a brat and the next Alice was making me feel guilty for her. It was almost like she could have been there herself and argued for Abigail. Not that that could ever be true, but it was fun to imagine. Alice did have the goth image going for her if she wanted to play the part of the witch.

I laughed at the image of Alice in a pointed hat and a cloak, it didn't seem too farfetched.

Alice glanced my way from across the kitchen table. She flicked a balled up paper my way. "What's so funny, hm? Don't like my analyses, ma'am?"

I waved a hand at the accusation. "No way, that's not even close."

She sat back in her seat and laid one hand over the other. "Then pray tell, what has you laughing while I'm analyzing our homework that's due tomorrow?"

I took one look at her and only the image of the pointy hat and cloak came to mind and I bust out laughing again. I tried ignoring the pounding in my head as I watched Alice be unamused. Through giggles, I told her, "Think you could pull off a witch's hat and a cloak?"

Alice scoffed. "A witch's hat is outdated - veils are back in. And I'll have you know cloaks are a perfectly good accessory for the winter."

I grinned and leaned back in my chair. "Oh, I'm sure. Along with what else, do tell?"

"Along with the F you're going to get if you don't start listening to my analyses."

I faked hurt as I put a hand over my chest. "Ouch, that burned, Alice."

Alice smiled, content. "Now, if you're quite done, it's nearly six am, and Jasper should be coming to pick me up soon to get ready for school," she relayed, packing away her books and materials in her tote.

I raised an eyebrow at that. "What sane teenage boy is awake at this godforsaken hour?"

"My brother, fortunately," she replied.

I nodded along and stifled a yawn. "Well, I don't know how you did it, Alice. I'm dead tired." I had to cover a yawn again. "Are you sure, Carlisle wasn't just kidding about me having a concussion?"

Alice laughed and shook her head. She continued cleaning up until we heard a knock at the door. I was glad Jasper didn't beep just in case my mom had finally gotten some sleep. I'm sure Esme wouldn't be calling her in today. I was still mad I had to go to school, though. Seriously, minor concussion or not, it was concussion! The minute I felt bad I was heading home… except that meant my mom would have to pick me up, so maybe not.

We walked to the front door together and upon opening it, there stood Jasper. I couldn't help the flush traveling up to my ears as I looked at him. He had changed, and now had a dark blue button down on with a larger coat. That blue should be illegal. His hair was slicked back today and I could clearly see his eyes. I thought back to what Alice said yesterday, how they all wore contacts. I had let the topic go, but it still struck me as odd that they'd choose such a strange color for their eye color. It wasn't normal, then again, neither were the Cullens. Hell, two of them were openly dating according to Jessica and Angela. And…

It struck me then that they had mentioned something about Alice and Jasper being closer to each other than the others and suddenly, I felt like a fool. This was all just a trick, probaby. They were probably together and just taking the piss out of me. I didn't want to let on that I knew anything and act poorly, not after Alice stayed up all night with me. Besides, she didn't do anything. Jasper was the one pulling moves. God. Whatever.

Jasper grinned when his eyes landed on us. "Morning, ladies. I take it the night went well?"

Alice flounced down the front steps and grabbed on to his arm, her tote hanging off the other. "Without a hitch. Maria should be asleep upstairs by now, it's been long enough."

I didn't miss Jasper flinching at my mother's name. I wonder what Maria screwed him over hard enough to make him flinch like that at the name alone.

He schooled his expression quickly and straightened out. "Good," he said plainly. He then turned to look at me head on. "We'll see you in a bit to pick you up, then?"

While I probably looked like a gaping fish, Alice seemed at ease answering for me. "Of course! She doesn't have her licence anyway, she wouldn't be able to go to school."

"Wait, how do you know I don't have a licence? And when was this agreed on?" I exclaimed.

"When you were too busy moping on the couch. You're mom asked if one of us could take you," she said easily.

I pursed my lips and crossed my arms. "So the solution was to have Jasper come back and forth a bunch of times?"

The siblings glanced at each other and shrugged. "Yes, ma'am," Jasper said.

I rolled my eyes. "So, I have no choice?"

"No, ma'am."

My eyebrow twitched at the "ma'am." "Excuse you, sir, but I'm not old and I'm not a ma'am."

He grinned and slid his arm out of Alice's hold and scratched the back of his neck with it. "Sorry, ma'am. Meant no disrespect."

If this was a movie, I would've swooned and had him catch me. Alas, this wasn't - this was real life. I blushed and moved my hair aside from where the curls had fallen loose from its ponytail. "I guess," I muttered. I sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "So I'll be ready in a little?"

Jasper and grinned even wider and nodded, tugging Alice along to the Volvo I noticed was typically driven by Edward.

I watched them drive away, speeding down the street. I shook my head at the way Jasper drove, having backed up in the blink of an eye and swerving onto the street again. It was a sight to see. But the sight of the Volvo reminded me I'd actually be going to school with them. It was social suicide. I'd be the talk of the school. I groaned too loudly for six am and walked back in.

I dragged my feet behind me and up the stairs, coming to a stop in front of my room. I could just hear the faint snoring coming from my mom's room. She deserved the rest. I hadn't gotten to ask her what she'd seen that made her crash, but I could leave that for another day. She needed time too.

I got ready for the day, dressing in slightly better clothes, if only so I didn't make a fool of myself in front of the whole school. I sat on my bed and stared out the window, reminiscing about the past few days. It had been hell on earth. I had come to Forks, excited to see my mother, desperate to get away from my father, and as if the world had a grudge against me, threw me for loops. I never expected a break in to happen, much less for… that. I still hadn't mentioned what I actually saw to anyone, and I doubt I ever would - they'd lock me up for sure for seeing things. I have enough of a history with mental health to add hallucinations to the list. Delusions I could handle, but not hallucinations. Maybe what I thought Jasper thought of me was just a delusion of mine. It would check out.

I sighed. I did that more often here in Forks than I ever did in Miami. Miami meant constant noise and no time to think. It meant I didn't have to worry about racing thoughts because as long as I was busy I was distracted and distracted was good. Miami was sunny, loud. I missed it, I wouldn't lie. I didn't miss the friends, though. The friends were falsified excuses of people. Falsified lives, experiences, they didn't grow up. They were stunted. Focused on Miami and only Miami. And me? I needed to grow out of there. I didn't know where, but Forks seemed like a good place to try, even if I thought too much here.

A honk brought me out of my reverie. I grabbed my backpack and headed down to the front door. I expected Jasper and Alice, and I guess I expected Edward because it was his car, but I didn't expect Jasper to show up alone on his motorcycle. I was stock still, watching as he swung a leg over the bike. He made his way to the front door again carrying a helmet. He offered to me with a smirk and walked back to the bike, no conversation transpired. I shook my head and gripped the helmet tight before shoving it on my head, mirroring Jasper. I tugged up my bag and walked over to the motorcycle hesitantly.

Jasper noticed my unsure nature. "What happened to that feisty personality from yesterday, hm?" Shocked he brought it up and embarrassed he even thought to mention it to my face, I sneered at him and threw a leg over the motorcycle. He tilted his head back to look at me. "You're going to want to hold on, darling."

He didn't give me any time to process the pet name or even the fact I was this close to him again. He kicked up the stand, revved the engine, and skirted the curb as he raced down the street. I screamed and wrapped my arms around Jasper's middle.

The roar of the bike was loud in my ears even with the helmet on. I was yelling out curses and Jasper's name so often I was surprised he didn't drop me for being annoying.

"Jasper!" I yelled over the revving engine. "Why the fuck couldn't you bring a car?"

His body shook with laughter and I tucked myself in tighter to his back. "I can't hear you," he shouted back.

We got to the school eventually and the shock was evident on everyone's face as we came racing in. We pulled into a parking space next to the Volvo. I was much closer to all the Cullen siblings than I'd ever been before, and I was fucking nervous. Jasper got off first and hung the helmet on one of the handlebars. I still hadn't gotten up, mostly because I was scared my legs would crumple under me. I shakily pulled off the helmet while I made eye contact with Jasper, ignoring the converging group of people.

He smiled and reached out to grab the helmet from me. "Why so scared now?" He ignored his siblings and looked only at me. "We don't bite."

I heard his siblings either scoff or snort. I smirked at his quip and got off with a little more confidence. "You may not, but I do." I pushed the helmet to his chest and strode off. Halfway across the parking lot, I turned around and called back, "Thanks again! See you in Spanish?" Everyone in the lot by now was staring at the new girl who seemed to be closer to the elusive siblings than anyone had ever been.  
I saw his lips move but couldn't catch what he said. I smiled nonetheless, letting myself revel in the close contact we had. It felt like betrayal to Alice, but I couldn't help myself.

I turned back around and kept walking away, passing the van I knew Bella and the rest of them were huddled around. I flashed them a smile and walked on. Before I knew it, I could hear rapid footsteps behind me trying to catch up. Wondering who it was, and mildly hoping it wasn't to ask about the Cullens, I turned around, again. It was - Bella? I stopped near the front door of the school building and waited for her. She was huffing by the time she came up to me and wasted no time in bombarding me with questions.

"Since when are you so close to the Cullens?" She frowned as she looked at me inquiringly. "You just got here too. I - I don't get it." I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about her seemed off.

"Bella, are you okay? Like, I know I don't know you like that, but you just… are you okay?" She glanced behind her towards the Cullens quickly, so I did too and caught Jasper's eye. I smiled as he didn't break eye contact. It was then I finally noticed there was a sibling missing: Edward. She didn't seem to notice and yet an understanding hit me. "This has to do with a certain bronze-haired boy, huh?" I smiled at her with a knowing look. "Listen, that boy is something else, sure, that whole family is, but chill. It's fine."

"No, you don't get it," she emphasized. "He…" she trailed off. "He wouldn't even look at me the first day in Biology. He - he looked at me like I smelled bad," she mumbled. I couldn't help but laugh at that, it was funny! She gave me a stern look and I schooled my expression. "He couldn't even sit next to me, he moved all the way to the end. And then the second the bell rang, he ran out of there. And then he even tried switching classes to get out of Bio. Who does that?"

I sympathized with her, I did. I just didn't know what to say to that. I just nodded and reached out a hand to put on her shoulder in comfort. "Hey, listen. I don't know him like that and I can't tell you what he'll do next, but I'm sure he probably just had a bad day. Give him some time. Besides, I think he's doing it for you - I don't think he came to school today."

She turned around, without any shame might I add, and checked to see if I was right. She exhaled the moment she saw there were four siblings instead of five gathered around the Volvo and the motorcycle. If relief was embodied, it would be Bella in that moment. But she kind of looked… sad?

"Come on, what's up now?" I furrowed my brows.

"You wouldn't get it," she said, walking inside the building.

I watched her leave before looking back one last time. Jasper was laughing at something Emmett said and in that moment, I knew I understood Bella. I'd feel the same if Jasper had acted that way.

The day passed without fail, except maybe Bella getting hit in the face with a volleyball. Jessica thought it was the funniest thing to have ever happened, which was why I snorted when at lunch she asked Bella how she was doing, bruised eye and all.

"I'm sorry, did I say something funny?" she asked, turning up her nose when I leaned back in my chair at the lunch table.

I laughed and said, "Well, I just think it's funny you're asking since you were the one to do it in the first place." I smirked at her shocked expression.

She was spluttering and searching for words. "I did not!" She turned to Angela for back up, which backfired.  
"It really isn't funny, she could've gotten seriously hurt," Angela said, looking at Bella with pity.

"Yeah, Bella isn't the most coordinated person, you know," I reminded them. "Remember the first day when she hit Mike on the head?" There was a moment of silence as we all thought back to that first incident in PE. I doubt Mike minded much since it was love at first sight when he saw Bella, anyone could've seen that. "Besides, Bella, what do you think?"

Bella squirmed under all the attention, and I felt a little bad for putting her in that position. "Well, yeah, it does kind of hurt," was all she said before going back to eating her salad.

I sighed and went back to eating my own lunch. The rest of the table started talking about what they had planned for the rest of the day. I tuned in when I heard plans of going shopping later next week. I considered it for a minute, but ultimately decided going with Jessica was not the move, even if Angela and Bella would be there. Eating my lunch slowly, I let my eyes drift off to the table the Cullens were sitting at. It was odd seeing Edward missing there after their big entrance the first day of school with Jessica introducing them through the gossip mill. In this moment, I realized how easily I was falling into the rhythm of Forks, Washington. The crash aside, the town was simple, the actions simple, and yet here I was thrown into the middle of it. I have never been a simple person, my brain was never wired for that. Then here come the Cullens, extraordinary in all their glory, just like Carlisle said. I scoffed at the idea of them being that originally when he told me so in the hospital, but just like that they proved me wrong. I was letting myself fall into their web and I was being played like putty in their hands. And I didn't find myself minding much.

As if I had called him, Jasper's eyes found mine and I found myself shrinking in my seat. I was still thinking about how he and Alice may actually be an item and I was just getting caught in the middle like some stupid game. I furrowed my brows and let myself sink to Jessica's level.

"Hey, Jessica?"

She bit her lip as she finished saying something to Erik about History and looked over at me. "Yeah?" She rolled her eyes for dramatic effect.

I breathed out calmly, telling myself this was for a good reason. "Remember when you were telling Bella and I about the Cullens? Did you mean it when you said they were all together, except for Edward?"

Jessica seemed to light up at the chance to gossip. "Oh, duh! Of course. Haven't you seen them together? They practically fall into each other's arms!" She suddenly smirked. "Why? Don't tell me Miss Cool Girl has a crush on one of them."

I felt my face flush as the whole table erupted in snickers and laughter. I scoffed derisively. "As if, it was just a question."

I refrained from looking over to the table again for my own sanity. If that was true, I needed to stop myself, starting now. And how great was it that Spanish was my next class?

I sat silently, waiting for the warning bell to ring. Bella was across the table and to the right and appeared to be in deep thought too. It didn't take a mind reader to know she had to be thinking about a certain Cullen. That, or the pounding headache she must have. I rubbed my own head as I felt the beginnings of my own headache. I had gone to the nurse's office earlier to just lie down, but I had forgotten to grab pain meds before leaving the house. Having a hot boy come pick you up in a hot motorcycle will do that to you. I sighed as the bell finally rang and packed up everything as fast as I could. I wanted to beat Jasper to class to avoid the same awkward interaction as yesterday.

I did not. Jasper was faster than I gave him credit for because by the time I got to class he was already sitting down and had his notebook and textbook out ready for class to start, not that he'd need the book. I held back a groan as I stood in the door and decided to fuck it, I'd ignore him all the same. I slid into my seat just as Mr. Davis began to lecture, sending me a warning glare.

Jasper waited until we had gotten further into lecture before leaning over and whispering, "Howdy, ma'am."

I tried so hard to hold back a grin. It wasn't right. So I just ignored, ignored, ignored. He kept trying to make small comments on anything, the teacher's accent, the way I was barely writing notes, anything he could notice to try to get me to say something back. But nothing. I wasn't going to do that to Alice, and I was not about to draw myself into family drama; I had my own to deal with.

Near the end of class, my headache started getting worse, it was so bad I was having trouble concentrating on whatever the hell this man was talking about. I felt a cold hand on my knee and jumped in my seat. I whipped my head to the side, and instantly regretted it. I closed my eyes and clutched at my head, fumbling to grasp the edge of the desk.

"What's wrong, Daniela?" I heard Jasper ask. "Is it your concussion?"

I didn't have to say anything for Jasper to raise his hand and interrupt Mr. Davis. "Señor, Daniela tiene una concusión. ¿Podría acompañar a la enfermera?"

Mr. Davis looked skeptical, and I couldn't blame him after yesterday's incident, but he waved us away and that was all Jasper needed to help me pack up. He didn't let me do anything as he tossed everything into my bag and guided me out of the chair. I was, once again, at the center of attention, and it was all because of Jasper. It was too much to handle when I had a pounding headache to worry about, so I ignored the whispers from everyone around me. The bright fluorescents of the classroom and hallway hurt so much I didn't want to open my eyes, but I was surprised when I felt the same cold hand hold onto mine with the utmost care. Jasper guided me to the nurse that way: me holding a hand up to cover my eyes and the other hand wrapped in his larger one, warning me when there were steps or corners.

Once we were in the office, the nurse led me to a bed at the back and said I was free to lie down til the end of class. She also thanked Jasper for bringing me here, calling him a gentleman and whatnot - I couldn't disagree. The nurse left to attend to another student and Jasper helped himself to a seat next to the bed.

I frowned as he did, choosing to now hold a pillow over my face to block out the light. I could still clearly see him from my peripheral, and felt so guilty he was here, even if it was as a friend, if he was even one.

The quiet was deafening. I didn't know if speaking would be better or worse for us or my headache, so I settled for the silence. Jasper didn't get the memo.

"Daniela, did I do anything to you?"

The way his voice carried so much confidence and worry at the same time broke my heart. Here was this boy who probably just wanted to be friends and I was treating him like shit. I pushed the pillow harder down on my face.

"You didn't do anything, Jasper," I muttered, though I doubt he could hear me past the pillow.

And just like that, he tugged the pillow up a little and leaned on the bed with his elbows carrying his weight. "Say that again?"

I blushed at the closeness again, but I stayed resolute. "I said, you didn't do anything," I whispered, hoping the nurse wouldn't walk back here for a while.

"So…" he let the sentence trail off as he stared at me concerned.

I had to ask him. "Jasper. Is there anything going on between you and Alice?" I was praying to a God I didn't believe in at that moment, hoping for anything but "yes."

He sat back in his chair and gave me a strange look. We didn't say anything for awhile, just listening to the nurse treat another student who was bleeding from PE, so we had some time. I swallowed with difficulty; the more time that passed the stupider I felt and the more I wanted to walk out and not look back. But more than anything, I was frustrated he had this effect on me.

Just as I was settling for him to leave without saying anything, he cleared his throat.

"Alice is my sister, but she's more than that." I felt my heart drop to my stomach. "When Carlisle brought Alice to the family, it was like a breath of fresh air. Rosalie and I are close, yes, we all are, but what Alice and I have is different. She… she calms me, you could say."

"Wait, so then - then you two aren't going out?" I'm sure I looked the part of the hopeful fool well enough because he cracked a smile.

"No, we aren't. Why? Is there something else you wanted to ask?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No!" I exclaimed, cringing at the loud volume of my own voice. "No," I said quieter. "It was just a question, Jessica was talking the first day and made it out to seem like that."

He hummed in acknowledgement. "Most people seem to think that. They see Emmett and Rosalie and they assume the rest."

"Yeah," I said lamely.

We fell into a comfortable silence. I was still reeling from the news, but Jasper was evidently fine with revealing this information. I just didn't know what to do now. What did I do now?


	7. Chapter 7

CW: mention of attempted suicide

The next week or so was rather uneventful. The weather was trash so we pushed back the beach outing. The interesting part, though, was that Edward still hadn't shown up to school again. When I tried asking Alice about it in passing during English, when Bella could listen in, she said he had come down with something. The rest of the Cullen siblings didn't seem too concerned, but that could also be because their father is a doctor. Regardless, I dropped the subject and shot Bella a look to show her it was fine. She was still paranoid from when he avoided her like the plague in Biology.

Meanwhile, I was doing my best to refrain from acting like a fool in front of Jasper. Ever since he told me he and Alice weren't a couple like everyone thought, my heart would beat erratically around him. It felt so loud I thought he could hear. Maybe I was a little paranoid too. All of this still wasn't the biggest development of the week. The most exciting part of the week was when I found out my mom had scheduled an appointment for me to go in and see Dr. Cullen at the hospital. When I flipped out - with reason because who knew if he would say anything to his kids - she retaliated with, "And if you have another episode?"

We were seated at the kitchen table while we spoke. The small table felt too tiny and the room too claustrophobic for this conversation, but she wouldn't let me leave. She reached a hand across the table and held my limp one in hers.

"Mija, I know you hate talking about it, but you have to get used to it. You have your whole life ahead of you, what are you going to do? Ignore it forever?"

"Yes," I said stubbornly.

She sighed at my tone. "Well, I'm sorry, you're going whether you like it or not. Carlisle is wonderful and you're in good hands. This isn't Miami anymore."

I shrugged one shoulder. "I guess."

She stood up from the table, effectively ending the conversation. We had dinner soon after and I went up to my room, slamming the door shut.

I didn't want to talk about potential episodes, old episodes, any episodes. I hadn't regressed in months, not since Dad revealed he was cheating on Mom. That one… it was something else. That one landed me in the hospital after doing things I definitely regret now. We didn't talk about it anymore, and nobody here needed to know about that incident. Dr. Cullen wasn't even a psych! I threw myself onto the bed and rolled onto my back to stare mindlessly at the ceiling. If anyone found out about my episodes, I'd be the social outcast in seconds. I didn't care to be popular, but that didn't mean I wanted to be friendless.

That all happened on Saturday, and on Tuesday, I found myself at Fork General Hospital with my mother in tow. She promised she'd wait in the car at least, but she wanted to greet Carlisle. We were in the waiting room, waiting for my name to be called, when Rosalie came out of the hallway leading to the patients' rooms. I honestly didn't know what to make of this scenario. From what I'd heard from everyone, Rosalie was the most unwelcoming of the siblings. Emmett, I understood he was friendly enough, Edward was melodramatic, Alice was sunshine embodied in a goth outfit, and Jasper, well, he ran hot and cold. My mother noticed Rosalie immediately and waved her down, beckoning her over. Rosalie, to my surprise, actually walked over to where we were seated.

"Hello, Maria, how are you?"

My mom smiled brightly at the blonde. "Oh, you know, still getting back into it, but overall feeling better. Your father is a miracle worker. Right, Dani?"

I nodded, wondering still if this was the Rosalie people ever saw at school. "Yeah, my headaches have stopped and I only get nauseous occasionally now."

"That's good," she said. "Well, I have to go, Emmett's here to pick me up. It was nice to see you, Maria." She turned to me and gave me a hard smile. "Bye, Daniela."

She walked away and the moment she stepped through the door, my mom hit my arm.

I cried out. "Mom! What did I do?"

She looked furious. "What did you do to Rosalie? Did you see how she looked at you?"

"I didn't do anything to her! I don't even talk to her, we have different classes."

"Well, that's probably it. Would it kill you to be nice? I raised you better than that," she insisted.

I sank in my seat as people around us were laughing to themselves. "Mom, please."

She was oblivious to the laughter I guess because she continued her tirade until Dr. Cullen stepped through the same doro Rosalie had come through not three minutes ago. I had never been more grateful to see that man. She only stopped once the doctor was within hearing distance of us and was holding back a smile at the scene.

"Aren't we lively today?"

"Ah, Carlisle! So good to see you again."

The doctor nodded his head in agreement before his gaze swept over to me. "Daniela, lovely to see you again, and on better terms too."

I laughed miserably at the thought. "Yeah, no car crashes this time, just my own life crashing before my eyes, you know, the norm," I joked.

My mom sighed and stood from her seat. "I'm just going to leave before I say what's on my mind." She raised her hands in frustration and walked away, calling out a goodbye to Carlisle as she walked.

Once she was safely out of the vicinity of the hospital waiting area, Carlisle waved me over to the entrance of the hallway. We walked down the long hallway of patients' rooms and led me to his office. Closing the door behind him, he motioned for me to take a seat. I sat as told and waited as he took his own seat behind the large mahogany desk. He assumed the doctor pose.

"So, your mother asked I take you on as a patient during your stay here in Forks. She gave me a brief history of your medical record, but I wanted most of the information to come from you." He leaned forward onto his elbows and smiled. "Please don't be afraid to share. I'm aware it may seem strange to divulge all of this information to me as your friends' parent, but I am a doctor in this scenario. Your secrets are safe with me."

I kept quiet for a while, considering my words. I knew he wouldn't tell anyone, he hadn't given me reason to doubt him before. I just didn't want to go down this road because once we went down it, we had to keep going.

I sighed deeply. "I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" Carlisle only folded his hands in response. I grimaced. "Well, I guess we start from the beginning? God, that was a while ago. Maybe it first started happening in… sixth grade? I remember I couldn't remember anything from school that day or even after classes when I went home. My classmates told me the next day, they said I acted out, got mad, flipped out on them. I didn't remember any of that. I went on about my week, and it just got worse. It got so bad a couple of weeks passed and I couldn't put my finger on it. I was just… on such a high, Carlisle. I was irritable, and still on such a wild rollercoaster. And then just like that, I dropped. I was so depressed," I said laughing, remembering the moment I knew something was wrong.

"I couldn't get out of bed. And there wasn't a reason for it! I just, from one day to the next, I had trouble waking up and going to sleep was like a relief. My mom was so worried. She took me to a psych and I hated it. He was an ass. Everything I did he invalidated. It got so much worse over the years and my mom kept taking me to him because hey, he gave me meds and I was stable. I didn't have as bad an episode as the first ever again. But then Dad, you know, cheated, and it threw me for a loop. I did things I wasn't proud of. I hated doing it, but I felt unstoppable, so I did it. One bad incident landed me in the hospital before I came to Forks. So after that, my dad was glad to get rid of me, I think."

I stopped speaking for a minute to collect my thoughts, and Carlisle took that as an opportunity to inquire about the one thing I wanted to avoid.

"What exactly landed you in the hospital, Dani?" His eyes were kind and open, letting me know there would be no judgement inside these four walls.

"... I jumped. Or at least, I tried."

Carlisle made a noncommittal noise and leaned back into his chair. "I see."

"A friend found me and called the nearest hospital. I was in there for a while. They didn't think I was stable enough. That's also why people stopped talking to me. Didn't want to be associated with the freak of the town."

"I see."

I shrugged. I felt a weight off my chest, not that I'd admit it. "Now you know, Doc. You can guess why I didn't want to run the risk of your kids knowing, or anyone really."

"I understand. I know the feeling of wanting to run from a reality, Daniela."

Carlisle left me seated there after handing me a refill prescription for my medication, telling me I was free to use the phone to call my mother to pick me up, or he could ask one of his kids to. I took him up on the latter. I didn't want to see the guilt in my mom's eyes. Every time we had to mention the Incident, she got all sad and it would shatter my heart. So I waited in the office, wondering what sibling would pick me up, knowing I hoped it was Jasper. The phone rang and I tentatively picked it up, feeling awkward answering Carlisle's phone, despite him saying it would be one of his adopted children.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Daniela, it's Edward. I'm outside." The smooth voice was a nice surprise. I expected the family to send Jasper as sadistic as they were.

"I'll be right out." Hanging up the phone, I picked up my bag and quietly exited the room. The stale smell of hospital made me uncomfortable, especially after revealing my darkest secret. I hurried my pace.

The sky was overcast today, I noticed as I walked out, the sun having disappeared behind some grey clouds nowhere to be found. I easily found the sleek car waiting in the parking lot. I smiled, not realizing maybe I missed seeing Edward around school, and happy that Bella could finally calm down. Climbing into the car, I greeted the bronze-haired boy.

"Nice to see you too, been a while," Edward mentioned.

"About that," I began. "Where'd you disappear to?" I couldn't hold back my intrigue.

"Visiting family," he replied, pulling out of the lot and onto the main road. "Went to Alaska for a family thing, saw some cousins, the usual."

"And nobody else went because?"

He glanced over. "You're awful inquisitive today."

I snorted. "'Awful inquisitive?' Who speaks like that nowadays?" I laughed to myself as Edward chuckled at his own expense. Turning to him in my seat, I told him honestly, "I'm glad you're back."

He raised an eyebrow at my confession. "Did you get another concussion?"

I laughed again at his bluntness. "No, school's just been boring without the whole Cullen family here to wreak havoc to the gossip mill. That and Bella hasn't stopped asking everyone where you could possibly be."

He made a noise. "You don't say." He turned a corner close to my house and I realized I had little time to get information out of him.

"Hey, Edward, what did happen between you and Bella? She told me a little about what happened in Biology, but I wanted to hear what you had to say." He turned one more corner and I felt my heartbeat quicken.

"She didn't lie. I did all of that. But I just had an off day. I plan on apologizing as soon as I see her tomorrow."

Smiling to myself about the good news, I let myself relax the last few minutes of the car ride. What I didn't expect was for Edward to ask about his brother.

"So Jasper told me you guys had an interesting conversation the other day. What was that about?"

I shrunk into my seat. "Nothing much, why? What did he tell you?"

"Something along the lines of you confessing your undying love for him, like you said, nothing much." He grinned wickedly.

I groaned and pushed the heels of my hand into my eyes. "I hate you Cullen boys. That's not what happened at all! And you know it!" I pointed a finger accusingly at him.

He tilted his head in consideration before laughing it off. "Okay, so maybe he didn't say that. But I will say this, I don't think you should get too close to him." Edward's whole demeanor changed. "You don't know the first thing about us, Daniela."

My anger flared at his words. "Listen, I've been here a week, of course I don't know the first thing about you. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to get to know you all. Hell, I don't know you all. And my mother works with yours, in case you forgot. So you're stuck with me whether you like it or not. So suck it up, buddy."

We had reached my house and I stormed out of the car and up my walkway. Edward called out after me, but I ignored him, glad my mother had gone to do groceries and didn't have to witness the inevitable scene if Edward didn't take a hint and leave. I heard him follow me up, and I shut the door in his face. He kept knocking and asking to let him in. I blatantly ignored him.

After a little while, he eventually left and I was left fuming in the living room. He had no right to tell me what to do. I sat in darkness until my mom got home, complaining about me being a vampire. I scoffed at the suggestion, thinking I was too heated to be a vampire, I argued. Vampires in literature were cold and cruel.

Dinner was a quiet affair. After, I did my homework and headed to bed. Once the lights were out and I drifted off to sleep, I fell into a restless fit. I dreamt about the red eyes again. I hadn't in a while, primarily because I had tried to resist sleep as often as possible after the break in and then the concussion. I would wake up in a cold sweat, fall asleep, and repeat. It had been a week and I still had the same nightmare.

But tonight was different. Tonight I woke up around four am and saw a figure in the corner. I thought I was hallucinating, so I didn't react. Instead, I went into the mantra I had begun telling myself years ago.

"It's not real, it's not real, Dani. It's your imagination. Just breathe." Again and again I repeated that until I lulled myself to sleep once more. The only difference was that I felt a cold sensation on my forehead. I pushed my face into it more, relishing in the relief. I didn't question it - that was my mistake.

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a week. I didn't know if it was because I finally voiced what I had been holding in for months or from the mystery cold I felt when I fell asleep, but I actually wanted to go to school and interact today.

My mom dropped me off and I wandered over to the van we all regularly gathered around in the morning. Without fail, Bella was there, staring at where the Cullens normally parked, praying, I'm sure, for Edward to show up. Deciding to keep his appearance a secret, mostly because I was still annoyed by him. Sure enough, the Cullens pulled up in their two cars, and Bella stood at attention, anxious to see who came out of them. I turned my back to the cars as a statement; I may be friendly with two of them, but the third I would consider myself friendly with had been a dick, so.

I kept talking with Angela about our Calculus homework, when we all heard Bella's deep exhale. Angela turned to her concerned whereas I already knew what it was. Glancing back, I saw Jasper speaking with Rosalie and Emmett while Alice and Edward spoke separately, looking over at where we were occasionally. I scoffed and tugged up my backpack, deciding it was late enough to walk to class. I bid everyone goodbye, but Bella chose to tag along.

As she walked beside me, she kept looking over at me. After the third time, I decided I would entertain the conversation. "Considering you keep looking at me, I'm guessing you want to ask something?" I smiled at her, letting her know it wasn't her I was mad at.

She exhaled with relief flooding her face. "I was going to ask why you had your back to them, normally you at least wave now at Jasper and Alice."

"Yeah, well, someone decided to be an ass, so I didn't want to."  
"Did Jasper do something again?"

I laughed as she apparently recalled what Jasper had done the second day of school. "No, he didn't do anything this time, it was dear old Edward. He decided to say some shit I didn't quite agree with," I replied. "He picked me up from the hospital yesterday at Dr. Cullen behest and decided it was time to get all preachy on me."

"I wouldn't have had to if you would have listened." We both turned around to see Edward sidled up with his brothers, the girls off somewhere else, I guessed. "It was just some simple advice."

I laughed bitterly. "I'm sure. So you know for next time, Edward, I don't take well to being ordered around."

Jasper stepped up beside his brother. "Then can I ask if you want to head to class together?" He grinned at me, and I suddenly felt much calmer.

I turned my head away from the both of them. "That's fine by me." I eyed him warily. "But isn't your class in a different building?"

"Maybe," he replied easily.

I rolled my eyes at his answer. "Whatever, cowboy. Hurry up, then." I made my way down the hall with Jasper at my side, refusing to blush even when everyone kept staring.

"Cowboy, huh?"

Now I chose to blush, his stare all too compelling. "Don't you have a southern accent? It makes sense. Why? Don't like it?" I teased him, feeling the same sense of comfort as I did a week ago in the nurse's office.

"No." My heart dropped. "I love it. I could get used to it, ma'am."

"That, I cannot get used to, I feel so old!" I complained.

We made it to my Calculus class all too soon and I felt a deep sadness envelop me. "I guess I'll see you in Spanish?"  
"See you in Spanish," he agreed, and walked away.

I slumped my way through the day, mindlessly doing the assignments given to us. All I wanted was for the day to pass and for Spanish to come, and I hated that I was thinking that. I pushed all thoughts of Jasper aside and focused on engaging with the people around me. For English, I decided to talk to Bella more, and even start up a conversation with Tyler about this weekend's beach excursion. He was all too happy to get me to talk about the beach. I told him stories about Miami beaches and spring breaks. Eventually, Jessica and Mike tuned in too, Erik and Angela being in a different period. For the first time since being here, I felt comfortable. And I loved it. Ever since yesterday's visit to Carlisle, I felt like I could breathe again. No one else had to know what I had gone through, and no one else would know. I was just me, transfer student extraordinaire.

Lunch rolled around shortly and I got excited at the prospect of food, and then Spanish. PE had left me sore and upset after getting hit in the head by a basketball, so I was ready to get away from the scene of the crime. We all packed into our small lunch table after getting our food, launching into debate over the prom theme.

"I'm not telling!" Erik insisted for the billionth time as we all pestered him for details.

"It's not fair! We need to get dresses and how are we going to know what to dress for if we don't know the theme? Honestly," Jessica grumbled.

Mike meanwhile was ogling Bella as she was at the salad bar. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking. Angela and I devolved into our own conversation about how Calculus was going to be the end of us when Jessica spoke up again.

"Oh my god, whatever, Erik. We'll just go anyway this weekend. Angela? We're still on, right?" She stared pointedly at said girl.

"Yeah, of course. How about it, Dani? Still don't want to go?"

Reflecting on how I felt today, how normal I felt, I decided it wouldn't hurt to go out and continue acting normal. "Sure, why not?"

Jessica looked thoroughly shocked, as did the rest of the table, save for Angela who just smiled and said, "Great. I'll remind Bella when she comes back. It'll be a nice girls' trip."

I smiled at her kind disposition, she was the best person at this table, hands down. I looked up from my lunch and tried to find Bella, only to find Edward standing with her at the salad bar, offering her an apple. The symbolism didn't escape me. We love a good temptation. I saw him crack a smile and guessed Bella must have said something funny. I shrugged it off and let my eyes wander the rest of the open room, knowing exactly who I wanted to find.

Our eyes met over the heads of our respective friends/siblings. I felt my heart soar at the fact he was also looking for me. What I felt for Jasper was indescribable, it didn't make sense. I didn't know the boy, yet it felt like I'd been searching for him my whole life. When he admitted he and Alice weren't together, my heart did things I never thought it was capable of. I felt crazy for feeling this way, and I knew the only person who could understand was Bella. She also had this strange pull to a Cullen. I wish I had the words to articulate what my body did the minute I was near Jasper, or even saw him.

A soft smile grew on my lips as I watched Rosalie pull him away from our gaze for something. He sank into his chair at whatever she said and I couldn't help but laugh at seeing Jasper act like an embarrassed child just for a moment. Erik heard me first and started pestering for an answer before his eyes wandered over to the Cullen table as well.

"Hm, so you've got it bad too. Thought it was just Bella," he said.

"You've got no chance with him you know," Jessica said scathingly. "He's with Alice."

"He's not."

Everyone's head shot to look at me.

"What do you mean he's not?" Tyler asked.

"I said, he's not, which means he's not with Alice. He never was. Just because everyone here jumps to conclusions doesn't mean the conclusions are right."

Jessica slumped back in her seat, knowing it was a dig at her gossip reels. "Well, whatever, you still don't have a chance. Look at him, he's perfect."

I rolled my eyes, not willing to sit here and argue with a petulant child. I didn't reply and kept eating, hearing a chair's screech against the floor, signalling Bella's return. I figured I'd ask her about her conversation later away from prying ears.


	8. Chapter 8

I grabbed Bella before she could leave. I tugged her to a corner by the cafeteria and asked plainly, "What were you and Edward talking about?"

Bella sighed and glanced around before moving in closer and whispering, "He was being all nice all of a sudden. But then he started saying we shouldn't be friends and all of this shit. I was so confused, he gave me whiplash."

I nodded in understanding. "He tried telling me the same thing." Bella's head shot up to look at me. "When he was being preachy, he kept telling me it wasn't good for me to be friends with them. And I told him I barely knew them! So how could I even be friends with them? But whatever, he was just being really weird about it, I don't know what got into him. He was perfectly fine before that conversation."

"Yeah, to you at least. I'm still in shock he's speaking to me like I'm not plagued."

I laughed. "Well, I told you, and he confirmed! He just had a bad day." She shook her head and made to leave, but I held her back. "I think you should ignore what he said, Bella, really. I don't think they're bad people."

"You just say that because you like Jasper," she retorted.

My face flushed at the accusation. I stuttered out a response. "I do not! I just, I think he's sweet. That's it. Besides, I could say the same about you."

Bella smiled at my denial, and didn't deny my claim. "Maybe you're right."

With that, we split and made our way to our respective classes. I was jittery at the thought of having class with Jasper after what Bella said. I shook my head at the thought, I barely knew the boy - there was no way that was even fathomable.

Making it to Spanish, I took my seat and noted Jasper wasn't there yet. That was… weird? He seemed fine earlier, maybe he felt sick during lunch. I shrugged off the worry and focused on the lecture for today. It was a fun class for once, Mr. Davis decided to teach us ghost stories. Said something about not wanting to teach because he felt bad - maybe there was a bug going around - and put on a video about the supernatural, but in Spanish. It covered all the legends I learned in Spanish from my family and from movies, but I tuned in to hear the part about vampires.

I rested my head in my hand and watched the video a little more intently than before. The video started off by describing how to know someone was a vampire. It detailed how they were pale, had an aversion to sunlight, were cold, all that jazz, but also the usual things we all knew, like their bloodthirst. I yawned at the obvious depiction, thinking we could have just played Dracula and gotten it over with, not that I didn't enjoy a day off.

"Los vampiros son conocidos por atraer a las personas con el romance, convenciéndoles de que los aman. Son muy peligrosos. Ellos atacarán cuando menos lo esperes."

"Hey, teach, this isn't scary anymore, this is just boring, why do we care about vampire romances?" Someone near the front asked and we all laughed, well I laughed, but I sat up straighter. Vampires aren't real, I assured myself. These were just scary stories. I chuckled as I admitted I was getting scared by this dumb video. This was just a fun time.

The bell rang soon after, signalling the end of classes, so I packed up my things and made my way to the parking lot. I saw Bella by her truck and was going to wave to her, when all of a sudden I saw Tyler's van start skidding towards her at full force.

"Bella!" I yelled her name, hoping she'd move. If I tried running I could make it, but I felt arms tug me back. "Let me go!" I struggled against the harsh hold. I threw my head back to see who thought letting Bella get hit by a van was fine , and to my surprise it was Jasper. He was supposed to be sick! "Jasper, what the fuck!"

I heard the collision before I saw it. I ripped myself out of Jasper's arms, and ran over to where the van hit the orange truck. Everyone has started crowding around Bella, asking if she was okay. Someone shouted they had 911 on the phone. I pushed my way through the crowd, telling Tyler to fuck off when he kept apologizing.

I pushed Bella's hair back and studied her face. She was nearly catatonic. "Oh, shit, Bella, can you hear me?"

She nodded mutely, grasping my hand and looking behind her at the woods by the school. I sighed in relief and sat on the asphalt with her. We waited for the ambulance to get to the school, and only when they loaded her in did I realize my mother hadn't come to school. I furrowed my brows at the thought, thinking something must have happened to my mom.

I dialed her number on my cell, anxiety wracking through me with every ring. When it finally clicked I jumped into the conversation. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"Hi, honey, I'm sorry," she began, and I could hear a few cracks in her voice. "I had to do something urgent, so would you be okay with asking someone to take you home? I promise I'll explain later." And with that, she hung up, not even letting me argue.

I sighed angrily, snapping my phone shut. I cursed and hiked up my backpack. Looking around, I saw most people had left the lot after the accident, Tyler being taken to the hospital too for his bleeding head. To my knowledge, most people had headed to the hospital to check on the two of them, not that Bella would like it, I guessed. Guess I had to walk.

As I made my way to the exit of the school, I could hear the smooth engine of the fancy car pulling up beside me. It was the Volvo. I snorted, wondering what was going to happen now. I stopped and the car followed suit. Crouching my knees, I looked into the tinted windows with a raised eyebrow, and the windows lowered. Only Jasper was in the Volvo, which I found strange. He motioned for me to get in, and I weighed my options. Walk home and be sweaty and tired after a long walk, or get in and have the chance to berate him. I would take the latter. I glanced behind me at the long line of cars, seeing Rsoalie's sports car behind the Volvo and waved at them, assuming the rest of the siblings were in there, why? I had no clue. I got in without any complaints.

As I clicked my seat belt in place, Jasper sent the car zooming into the street. And I thought the motorcycle was bad. I gripped my seat tightly, noticing slowly but surely we weren't headed for my house. Great, I was being kidnapped.

"Jasper," I said, my voice strained. "Is there any reason we're not headed for my house?"  
"Yes."

"Is there any chance of you telling me that reason?"

"No."

I sighed and rested my head back against the seat. The cool leather was a welcomed relief, but my cheeks were burning from being in this car with Jasper. I was still reeling from being held back by him. The car ride felt endless as the silence carried on. I couldn't take it.

"Jasper, will you at least talk to me?" I turned in my seat to watch him drive. His hands were clutching the steering wheel. I reached a hand over to rest on his arm, careful about pushing his boundaries. "I'm right here, why do you have to drive away from civilization just to talk to me? I don't get it."

He hit the wheel with the palm of his hand. "Just let me get to it, Daniela!"

"Do not yell at me, Jasper," I said evenly.

Jasper had enough shame to look embarrassed by his outburst. "I mean it, though. Just let me get there, what I'm about to do is hard enough."

"I don't take kindly to being yelled at, Jasper, so whatever it is you're going to do better be done calmly. Especially after that stunt you pulled," I told him, still upset because I could've made it to Bella.

"If I'd let you go to Bella, you would've gotten hurt too."

I scoffed. "And how do you know that? What, are you psychic?"  
"I'm not. Alice is."

I laughed at his attempt at a joke. "I know Alice has the goth, witch vibe going for her, but she doesn't strike me as a psychic, Jasper." Suddenly, Jasper pulled over. We were still in the middle of the woods. Now I was getting scared. "If you're going to kill me, don't make it so obvious, Jazz, please. Murder in the woods is overplayed."

"Jazz?" Jasper's voice carried over from his driver's seat, his voice like an angel's. I was overwhelmed with care in that moment. How could I be scared of this sweet boy?

I stumbled over my words. "I… I thought it was cute. Jasper is so long sometimes."

"My family calls me that."

I felt embarrassed. "Sorry, if I, you know, crossed a boundary."

"No, you didn't. But I'm about to."

I looked up confused. He wasn't in his seat anymore. I heard a knock on my window and jumped. Jasper himself was at my window. I looked back and forth between his unoccupied seat and the window, wondering if this was another hallucination like last night. Before I could roll down the windows, Jasper opened the door for me. I stepped out cautiously. I was on edge, and Jasper could tell from my scared expression. He took me by the hand and for the first time, I really recoiled from the cold hand. In that moment, I had a flashback to Spanish class.

Vampires have cold hands… thirst for blood… superpowers...

The chill that ran down my spine had nothing to do with the cold. I must have been insane, more than I already was, because I let Jasper take me by the hand deeper into the woods. He didn't let me go for a second, whether it was because he was afraid I'd bolt or because he knew I needed help navigating the terrain, I wasn't sure. I was silent throughout our walk, mulling over the same sentences from the video. The likelihood of Jasper saying he was a vampire was laughable; the more likely scenario was me just hallucinating and having delusions, and attributing it to a new episode. It had to be.

Eventually, after a while of walking and me being convinced we were lost, Jasper stopped. I bumped into his back and stumbled. He caught me easily, hands grabbing me by the shoulder and easing me down onto a log. He didn't sit down instead choosing to pace in front of me. I let him go on for a few minutes, having my own worries to think about, but at some point this had to end.

"Jasper." He stopped pacing, but didn't look at me. "You drove all this way. We walked all this way. You have me here alone. Either you're going to tell me what's eating at you, or I leave here and get lost in the woods trying to find the main road again. Something has to happen."

I saw his shoulders rise and fall slowly. He turned to stare at me, not a fleeting glance like the ones we shared in the cafeteria, no, this was stronger, more tangible. I could reach out and touch him this time. And I did. I grabbed his cold hand and prayed with all I had that this would turn out okay.

"Do you ever wonder what could be?" He began cryptically, running his thumb down my hand.

"Sometimes," I answered honestly.

"I always do. I wonder what could happen every second of every day. What would happen if I lost control, what would happen if something happened to my family, what I'd do. And every scenario scares me.

"Daniela, I need you to answer honestly. Are you scared of me?" We hadn't broken eye contact this whole time. "I need you to tell me."

In that moment, I knew without a doubt what I felt for Jasper. And I was scared to admit it. If I admitted it, what would I do? Jasper was placing his trust in me and I didn't know why. I had no clue what he thought of me. Sure, he deemed me worthy of conversation and a few of his jokes, his grins, his grimaces, his anger. I never saw him act like anything but a human in front of his siblings - he was a statue in front of our classmates. And I felt like the luckiest person in the world to know him. But what did that mean? Did that mean I wasn't scared? Of course I was scared. I was in the middle of nowhere with a boy I barely knew, but felt something for. I was scared I would wake up and have this be an episode. I was scared my mom was in trouble and she wouldn't tell me. I was scared of lots of things. But was I scared of Jasper?

"No," I said. And I knew it was true the second I said it. "I'm not scared of you, Jazz."

He gripped my hand tighter. "What if I said something, would you be scared then?"

"Depends on what you tell me."

And then he was gone. I shot up from my makeshift seat on the log. I called out his name, turning in circles trying to locate him. "Jasper!" I cried. Suddenly, I was scared of being abandoned in this dark forest, the barely there sun disappearing fast. "Jasper, this isn't funny, please!"

I gasped as I felt hands wrap around my waist. "What if I said there was something you didn't know about me?"

"There's lots I don't know about you," I whispered. My voice carried across the wide open space, soft, trembling. "I don't know your favorite color, where you were born in Texas, hell, I don't even know your school schedule."

Jasper laughed roughly behind me. "Only you would consider those things."

"No, those are normal things to think about if you're friends." With some difficulty, I turned in place, Jasper's arms still around me, but I tried not to think too hard about that. "What is it, Jasper? What could you possibly have to tell me?" In the back of my mind, I thought I knew the answer; I needed him to say it.

Jasper wouldn't let go. "I hate myself, Daniela. You wouldn't understand, not in a million years. You don't know what it's like to hate every fiber of your being."

"Yes, I do." I stood up straighter and cradled his face in my hands. "Jasper, there's so much you don't know about me either. There's so much I left behind in Miami, so much I'd rather forget. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't tell the people I care about."

He smiled, just so, a barely there change in his expression. "You care about me?"

"I care about a lot of people here now, surprisingly. You've all got me under your spell."

"And if I said it wasn't a spell? If it was just reality?"  
"I wouldn't believe you," I mumbled. "Jazz, I have delusions, I have hallucinations, I'm not normal. I'm fucked." I took a deep breath. "I tried jumping off in Miami. I hated living so, so much. I wanted it to end."

Jasper's grip tightened, it was near bruising. "I would have never met you, Dani." He spoke so quietly, my ears strained to hear him. "I wouldn't have gotten to know you. Know that sweet accent of yours, the way you write, tilted in your seat, the way you tune in and out. I wouldn't know that temper of yours, or the way you believe so deeply even a fuck up like me can be good. It's what makes you so beautiful, ma'am" He let his head fall forward and rested his forehead against mine. "I wouldn't have met you, and I would have regretted being alive."

I swept his hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear. "Oh, Jasper, you shouldn't say things you don't mean." I smiled sadly.

"I'm not lying. Alice saw you coming, she knew about you, she saw I'd be happy for the first time in years. I wouldn't have seen your smile if you'd died, Dani, the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."

I swayed on the spot. Tentatively, I asked, "What do you mean Alice saw me coming, Jasper?"

He stayed silent, choosing to run a hand up and down my spine instead. "Jazz, please. Say it. Why today?"

"Alice saw what would happen in Spanish, she saw the video. She…" he trailed off.

I grabbed his face tighter. "Jasper, I need to hear it, please," I begged him.

"Son muy peligrosos," he repeated, verbatim what the video had said.

I couldn't hold back the tears in my eyes. "What is dangerous, Jazz?"

"Vampires," he said, his voice not wavering.

My hold went slack. Jasper's grip on me tightened even more and I felt the air rush out of me.

He lowered his head more and turned to the side to whisper in my ear. "Are you scared now?"

With a shuddering breath, I placed my hands on his chest, feeling the cold of his body envelop me. "I'm cracked, I see and imagine things worse than vampires in my best episodes, Jasper." I looked him square in the eyes. "It takes more than vampires to scare me off."

Saying Jasper looked relieved was an understatement. He looked like he would drop to his knees and pray at any moment. He pulled me tighter to his chest, crushing my arms against me. I laughed, feeling like yesterday, a weight lifted off my shoulders. This was unbelievable, this realm of supernatural was unfathomable to me, yet here I was. I let my head rest against his chest with my arms now on his shoulders. We stayed like that for a good while, just contemplating the truths that were spoken. Jasper was the first to break it.

"Daniela?" I hummed and looked up at him, suddenly very sleepy. "I have another secret, relating to the vampire one."

"Well, it can't shock me anymore than that," I said, reaching a hand up to tug on a strand of his hair. "Shoot."

"I can manipulate emotions."

I gaped at him. Blinking once, twice, thrice, I laughed so hard I had to pull away from him. "You're joking, you have to be. Come on," I joked.

He didn't even twitch. My only reaction was feeling this rage build up in me. "Jasper," I warned. "Jasper, what the fuck? Stop! Stop it!" I felt the rage burning my core. "I said stop!" And just like that I felt a wave of sadness rush over me. The tears that had welled up in my eyes earlier started to fall. "What was that for? Are you trying to make me hate you?"

"Yes," he said plainly.

My heart broke and I stepped farther back. "Why?" I shouted. "After all of that, why try to make me hate you?"

"Because I may be happy you accepted me, but you don't know the true depth of what I can do, Daniela. You needed to see for yourself."

"That's bullshit," I spat. "You're just a coward."

"Maybe I am, but I'll be a coward if it means I can keep you safe." I could see the adoration in his face, and it only fueled my sadness.

I rushed over to him again and grabbed him by the forearms. "Then let me in, Jasper. I'm not going anywhere."

His stare was unnervingly calm. "There's so much you still don't know."

"Then give me time, but don't lock me out. I care about you. Please." I didn't need his mood manipulation anymore because I felt an all-encompassing sadness wrack my body. "Please, Jasper," I whimpered, feeling like the wrong word would push him away for good. "You don't know the hell I've been through these past few months. The worst of it, it killed me inside. And yet Forks has been the best of it somehow. You've been some of the best of it, believe me, why don't you believe me?"

"I do. I just don't want to lose you."

"Well, listen up, cowboy," I began, the sadness emptying out thanks to him. "You're going to lose me if you keep this up. And I don't think you want that." I clutched at his body like he would fade away any second. "Just let it happen. If it doesn't work out, okay, but just let us try."

He said nothing for a few minutes, just stared at me, his eyes full of conflict. In that moment, he looked the part of a tormented, damned vampiric soul. I just wanted him to say yes. That was all. I could forgive the mood manipulation, I could forgive the outbursts, I just needed to know he wouldn't lock me out.

Finally, he said, "On one condition."

"Say it."

He gave me a small smile. "Meet my family?"

I stood there, shocked, until I smiled too. "That's it? Just walk into a vampire home? Sounds easy."

"Just wait til you speak to Rosalie." We both laughed, my grip slacking, and he took the opportunity to grab the back of my neck gently and pull my face up with the other. "Say the word, and I'll stop," he whispered.

"That's the last thing I want you to do, cowboy."

"Say less, ma'am."

He pulled me in for a kiss. It was sweet, intoxicating. I thought back to the video and how they said vampires romanced people to attack them. I could never imagine Jasper attacking anyone. Not with the way he was holding me, cradling me to his body. It felt safe, as ironic as it sounded.

We pulled apart for air and I grinned. Jasper didn't need the air, but he knew I did. He reached up to drag a finger down my lips.

"Jazz," I said.

"Hm?"

"I do need to go home at some point. Something happened to my mom and I'd rather not die of shock if something happened to her."

He chuckled. "Alright, fair enough." He stepped back and turned so his back was to me as he crouched. "Get on."

"Is this the part where you show off more supernatural powers?"

"That's right, ma'am. You're going to want to hold on tight."

I help on for dear life, he wasn't joking. I shrieked as he streaked through the trees, little more than a blur to the naked eye. The shrieks turned into raucous laughter as I enjoyed the ride. I was aware this wasn't an episode, but I was afraid it would come crumbling down soon. I wouldn't let it. I was going to enjoy my time with Jasper as much as I could.


End file.
